New England Patriots: Grading the 2010 Draft Class
By Luke O'Brien
2 Rob Gronkowski TE Arizona Grade: A+
What analysis can I do on Rob Gronkowski that you haven’t heard before? He is the best Tight End to have ever played the game. Better than Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow, Jason Witten and Ozzie Newsome. He is without compare in the league as an offensive weapon (Running Backs and Wide Receivers included) and is “uncoverable” in the red zone.
His injury issues mean he will probably never have the statistics that other Hall of Fame Tight Ends have. When, (not if) he is being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and his highlight reel is shown everyone in attendance will see the true definition of the phrase “a man amongst boys”.
2 Jermaine Cunningham LB Florida Grade: D+
Back down to earth with a bit of a bump here with Jermaine Cunningham being selected eleven spots after Gronk. Cunningham had an Ok start to his rookie season and was trusted to start 11 games. After showing no improvement in his 2nd and 3rd seasons, Cunningham was cut before the start of the 2013 season. By the end of the same season he was out of the league. He wasn’t a complete bust as he did have some production but it wasn’t enough to sustain a place on an NFL roster.
2 Brandon Spikes LB Florida Grade: B-
The bruising middle llinebacker always moved to the beat of his own drum. Choosing to work out away from the team facility in the offseason, he never really “fit” the Patriots way of doing things. Productive as a thumping, run stopping, two-down Linebacker, Spikes was a starter over his 4-year tenure in New England. Spikes’ problem was his lack of versatility. He could stop the run and that was about it. It was this lack of versatility and not buying in to the system that eventually led to his release. The Patriots did try to bring him back in 2015 but an off the field issue led to his second release.