All in the family: 'Baby Gronk' talks NFL Draft

Reese’s Senior Bowl’s Patrick Woo: So what are we supposed to call you? The media seems to have adopted “Baby Gronk” because of your brothers and your family. You’re the youngest of the Gronkowski brothers. What are we supposed to call you?
Glenn Gronkowski: I really don’t mind that actually. People have been calling me that for a while now, probably for about a year now. Like I said, I really don’t mind it. I really don’t have any other nicknames or anything so right now people just call me Glenn or Gronk or Baby Gronk.

RSB: You’re going to be the fourth Gronkowski brother to play in the NFL. Growing up in that type of household where you have five little athletes just running around, what was it like?
Gronkowski: Oh, absolutely crazy. Obviously I’m the youngest so I was always trying to play up to the level of my older brothers or always trying to play up to the level of their friends, even. But just to have them around all the time, always trying to compete against each other, always trying to win no matter what we did, whether it was sports or eating to working out, you name it, we tried to win at it. To have that competition and that competitive spirit, I think that’s what made us all succeed very well like we have.

RSB: Which one of you is the most competitive?
Gronkowski: Wow, that’s a tough one. Wow. I mean I’d say all of us. Like I said no matter what it was, we were trying to win. Every single person. If it was working out, we were always trying to outdo the other person next to us. Just literally everything. I couldn’t pick the most competitive one.

RSB: Who was your biggest competitor then?
Gronkowski: Wow, I’d probably say Rob. He’s pretty much a freak athlete. Just seeing him be as successful as he is. Obviously I always wanted to try to compete with him. I always tried to keep up with him so I’d say that’s probably my biggest competition. Obviously my other brothers were a lot older than me so I couldn’t really compete up to their level as much.

RSB: Rob certainly garners a lot of attention for your family and I’m sure you’ve been asked by everyone about him. I read an article that you’d be open to playing with him. Have you met with Bill Belichick and how open are you to playing with your brother in New England?
Gronkowski: Yeah, like I said earlier that’d be a dream come true. Obviously I’ve never played with any of my brothers on any teams so to have that opportunity would be a dream come true. Talked to the Patriots a little bit, nothing major. Basically some basic information and some schemes that we ran, watched some film but nothing too intensive. But like I said, it’d be a great opportunity. It’d be a dream come true.

RSB: Everybody’s always trying to connect the dots and say that “so-and-so” team is meeting with “such-and-such” player but the public doesn’t understand that every team meets with pretty much every player so there’s not a lot of dots to connect. But Rob was down here in Mobile for the Reese’s Senior Bowl. The pregame chest bump with you and your brothers, I saw that when I went back and watched the game on TV and I thought that was really neat. How special was that moment for you?
Gronkowski: Yeah that was awesome. We love our chest bumps. We do it a lot actually. We definitely had to get one in before the game and make sure I got extra hyped up before the game. But just to have the whole family there, they’re all busy with their own things and Mobile is not an easy place to get to so to have them come out here and make that trip out there and support me meant everything to me.

RSB: You’re right about Mobile not being an easy place to get to but you got here. I hope it was worthwhile for you to be here. Can you take us back to that week and what that experience was like for you?
Gronkowski: Yeah just an awesome opportunity to have to be able to come out there. Awesome experience. I actually liked it more than the combine because you’re actually playing. You’re actually showing what you can do. It’s not just about numbers and how fast you are and all that. To be around all those scouts, to be around all those players, to be around an NFL coaching staff that you just have so much respect for with Gus Bradley and my tight end coach was Ron Middleton – just learning so much from both of them and being in that process was an absolutely awesome experience.

RSB: You played tight end during Senior Bowl week because of your versatility. You’re a fullback by trade. What do you feel most comfortable doing?
Gronkowski: Most comfortable? I’d probably say fullback as of right now. Obviously that’s where I played in all my college days. Lining up at tight end is a whole different experience. You don’t have much time to react. You definitely gotta be able to read the defensive line a lot quicker and all that stuff. So something I definitely have to adapt to and I think it’s something that I can do. Also move around to other positions like H-back maybe even slot receiver, stuff like that, like I was doing at the Senior Bowl. So I think I can be very versatile and help a team in a lot of different ways.

RSB: Take us back to this final season for you having to split time at fullback.
Gronkowski: I mean, yeah, it’s definitely different. Obviously, I played all the snaps my freshman and sophomore year but had another fullback come in my junior year and split some reps but just try to take advantage of the opportunity whenever I could. When I was in there, try to show that I can play still and that I can be productive and help a team win. And that’s the ultimate goal, to help a team win so I think was still able to show that.

RSB: What were some of the other factors that led you to declaring early?
Gronkowski: I already had two degrees and a minor. Had a 3.8 GPA so going back to school wasn’t a huge influence. Also, I’m already 22-years-old about to turn 23 so I basically would’ve been 24 next year if I waited another year. So basically age, education and all that. Just a lot of factors that go into it but I made the decision in my best interest to come out this year.

RSB: How did you end up at Kansas State? What led you to little Manhattan?
Gronkowski: The great tradition there. That place has been an awesome football program, has awesome places to live even. It’s a complete college town. The fans absolutely love you there. They live and die by Kansas State football. Just to be in that town and be around all those fans, just an awesome experience and to play for one of the best coaches that’s out there obviously just inducted to the Hall of Fame Coach (Bill) Snyder. Just to learn from him teaches you a lot not just about football but about life as well so be able to do that was just an awesome experience.

RSB: So you have two degrees? What are they in?
Gronkowski: Marketing and management and a minor in leadership. 

RSB: We knew about the graduation because it made you eligible for the Reese’s Senior Bowl. When your agent called you and said you’re going to have a chance to go to the Senior Bowl, what was that like?
Gronkowski: Awesome. Obviously that’s a dream come true. You grow up wanting that opportunity to play in games like that to be able to show that you can go against the best of the best and that you can compete with them. So to be able to that have that opportunity to go out there in front of all those scouts and to learn from those coaches, basically get your foot into the door into the NFL and see what it’s actually going to be like at the next level. To have that opportunity, that was awesome.

RSB: We’re glad that you thought the Senior Bowl was better than the Combine but where did you have the longer day, here in Mobile or out in Indy?
Gronkowski: Oh definitely out in Indy. You’re up at 4 a.m. basically every day. My flight out there was even at 4 a.m. Yeah, it’s a long process out in Indy. Obviously it’s a long process at the Senior Bowl as well. I think the one in Indy is just a lot longer and then on the last day you gotta do all the drills. So you’re basically worn down by waking up at 4 a.m. for three straight days and then the fourth day, you finally gotta go out there and try to compete at your best level. Obviously that’s what they wanna see you do, they wanna see you fight through it and it was an awesome experience as well but definitely a grind.

RSB: Your next challenge was your Pro Day, which was a really quick turnaround for you after the Combine.
Gronkowski: Yeah, it was. But like I said they wanna see how you react to all that turnaround and all that if you can keep performing because that’s what you gotta do in the NFL so to be able to go out there and show that you can fight through all that adversity and be able to stay in shape and all that it definitely helps out.

RSB: Well Glenn, congratulations you’ve completed what we call the Triple Crown of the NFL Draft process. Leg one being the Reese’s Senior Bowl, leg two being in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine and then the final leg is your pro day. You completed that fairly early in the process too so from here on out what does your training focus shift to?
Gronkowski: Right now I’m out here in Miami still. I’m actually working out with all the pros now so basically I’m on their schedule. Since I’m done with the triple crown like you just said, since I got all that done with I’m out here with a bunch of pros that are training preparing for next year’s season. Basically just working out, running, trying to get faster, trying to get stronger, all that stuff. I’ll be out here for probably the next month until the draft so trying to keep getting better.

RSB: Any idea what your draft weekend plans are yet?
Gronkowski: Gonna go home, just be around the whole family. Pretty sure my whole family’s coming into Buffalo. So probably be around them, just sit back, relax and see what happens. I obviously don’t have much say anymore. I did everything I could so it’s just a waiting game now.

RSB: Alright Baby Gronk, leave me with this: what’s your biggest takeaway or memory that you’ll take with you from your time at the Reese’s Senior Bowl?
Gronkowski: Biggest memory? Just being out there with the guys. Obviously that’s what you live for when you play this game. Just meeting all those players and everything. Obviously you watch all those players on ESPN. Just watching them on game day and all that and you try to learn from them and see what they’re doing good and all that. Just to be around them, just to hang out and be around them. Not just talking about football but just talking about life and stuff like that. It’s just an awesome experience to be around players that go through the same stuff that you do.

RSB: It was good seeing out in Indianapolis and we’ll be with you every step of the way. If you need anything you know where to find us. We’re glad you came down here and enjoyed the experience.
Gronkowski: Yes, sir. I appreciate the opportunity!