Heading into the 2010 NFL draft, Rob Gronkowski had high hopes — but not that the Patriots would select him.
Gronkowski, who played his college football at Arizona, recalled in an interview this week with 98.7 Arizona Sports that he badly wanted to be selected by the Cardinals.
“I loved being in the state of Arizona . . . I was praying that they would take me because I wanted to go there,” Gronkowski said. “I felt like they needed a tight end and they brought me in for a little visit.”
The visit, however, did not go well. Gronkowski said he sensed the Cardinals were just kicking his tires and not really interested in him as a player.
“I took a visit there and everything, I could tell they had no interest in me,” Gronkowski said. “I could tell, the people that brought me in, they were just bringing me in to bring me in.”
The Cardinals ended up using their first-round pick on defensive tackle Dan Williams, who had a forgettable five years in Arizona.