Getty Rob Gronkowski hasn't declared if he will return to football in 2022.
Rob Gronkowski’s undecided future could lead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafting a tight end.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht at least didn’t rule it out when he spoke to the media on Tuesday, April 19. The Bucs also have a little depth after Gronkowski, if he returns, with Cameron Brate and Codey McElroy. Gronkowski, 32, said last week that he hasn’t begun contract negotiations with the Bucs, and he hasn’t ruled out retiring again amid an injury-riddled career. Gronkowski retired in 2019 before joining the Bucs in 2020.
“You have to pay attention to that position,” Licht, told the media, though he added a caveat. “You don’t want to push a player up just because, like right now at this very moment, it looks like a perceived need, so you want to take him at the right spot.”
Licht also noted “that’s when you make mistakes” in the draft.
“Otherwise, they’re going to trump other really good players at different positions,” Licht told the media. “We could take a player literally at just about any position on our team and I think if they’re a great player we’re going to be happy we did it.”
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Bucs Could Build for Future With or Without Gronk
The Bucs won’t find a Kyle Pitts-type tight end, a generational star who went to NFC South rival Atlanta in last year’s draft. However, the Bucs could find a quality tight end in the second round or later, which other teams will likely do according to Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson.
“In many cases, however, the tight ends selected on Day 2 [or later] have proven to be more productive options than their first-round counterparts,” wrote Hanson, who mentioned Travis Kelce and George Kittle as recent examples.
Either way, the Bucs could go for a quality tight end to solidify the position for the future. Gronkowski had a productive 2021 season with 55 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns, but he also missed five games due to injury. Meanwhile, Brate had 30 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns last season, and McElroy spent 2021 on the practice squad.
Tight End Options in NFL Draft for Bucs
Colorado State’s 6-foot-4 Trey McBride ranks first on Hanson’s list for “strong, reliable hands” for catching passes. McBride caught 90 passes for 1,121 yards and a touchdown last year.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projects McBride going at No. 64 to the Denver Broncos in a recent mock draft, so McBride could be available No. 60 when the Bucs pick in the second round. McBride met with the Bucs during the NFL Combine in March.
The following four prospects in Hanson’s top five include UCLA’s Greg Dulcich, Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer, Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely, and Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert.
Dulcich, 6-foot-4, moved to tight end from receiver during his college career, and he brings quickness to the table, Hanson noted. The former Bruins star caught 68 passes for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021. Kiper actually had Dulcich going a spot higher than McBride at No. 63 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Wydermyer, Likely, Ruckert didn’t land in Kiper’s two-round mock draft. The Bucs could wait for one of those three later in the draft if needed. Wydermyer has good run blocking skills, Likely has strong pass-catch skills, and Ruckert has potential as a pass-catcher, Hanson wrote.
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