Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens | Rob Carr/GettyImages
Revisionist history would suggest the 2010 NFL Draft was one of the more successful drafts of the 2000s. There were several Pro Bowlers and All-Pros that graced the fans with their play. Some of the more noteworthy names are Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams, Earl Thomas, Antonio Brown, Joe Haden, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski.
There are actually a lot more guys we could mention, but you get the gist—this was a very good draft class. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Ravens‘ 2010 class was not one of them. It’s rare to see the Ravens not ace the draft, but seven picks, zero Pro Bowls, and a handful of injuries later the class just never got the legs… and that’s pretty brutal in hindsight.
But things could have gone very differently had they stuck to the plan. Sitting at No. 25, the Ravens traded back with the Denver Broncos for picks No. 43, 70, and 114. Right before Baltimore was about to get on the clock at 43, the New England Patriots came out of nowhere to trade for the 42nd pick.
The New England Patriots stole Rob Gronkowski from the Ravens
Who were they after? Why none other than Gronk himself… and boy does he have a story to tell. While talking about his draft night back in 2010 on his Dudes on Dudes podcast, Gronk shared how things could have gone very differently:
“The Baltimore Ravens were gonna pick me—I think it was the 25th pick that they had in the draft—but then Denver and Josh McDaniels came scooping in and traded with the Baltimore Ravens The Denver Broncos took Tim Tebow. I just got booted out of the first round. The Ravens have the 43rd pick now, well then the New England Patriots got a sniff of it, and they traded up one spot before the Baltimore Ravens at No. 42, where I got drafted,” He said.
“I also heard through a grapevine that if I didn’t get drafted to the New England Patriots, Greg Olsen was gonna get traded that day for a draft pick to the New England Patriots because the Patriots were looking for a tight end.”
This is where it stings. The Ravens just barely missed out on a generational player. Gronkowski became the most decorated tight end of the modern era, racking up 621 receptions for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns over 11 seasons. He made five Pro Bowls, four First-Team All-Pro rosters, and won four Super Bowl rings. He led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2011 and holds multiple postseason records, including the most Super Bowl receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end.
His 2011 season alone—90 catches, 1,327 yards, and 17 touchdowns—would’ve shattered records in Baltimore. He changed how tight ends were used across the league. The thought of pairing that level of dominance with a strong-armed Joe Flacco, a versatile Ray Rice, and a still-dangerous Anquan Boldin is wild to think about, even if the rest of their 2010 draft class didn’t pan out. We’re talking unstoppable… for years.
Instead, the Ravens walked away with Sergio Kindle, Terrence Cody, and two solid tight ends in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta—but not the one that ended up breaking the game open. It was obvious Baltimore was looking tight end, though. Crazy to think they missed on Gronk by a pick.
They still made the playoffs that year and finished 12-4. But adding Gronkowski into the mix? That offense suddenly becomes something completely different. Maybe the Ravens don’t need to wait until 2012 to win their Super Bowl. Maybe they win two. Maybe more. One pick. One trade. One tight end. That’s all it would’ve taken to rewrite the whooooole thing.
History doesn’t give out do-overs—but in hindsight, the Ravens were a single selection away from building one of the scariest offenses the league had ever seen. Gronk may have become a Patriots legend, but for a brief moment in 2010, he was almost a Raven. And that is an all-time bummer.
