Tale of the tape: Rob Gronkowski vs. Kyle Rudolph
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to tonight's main event! Let's take a look at the contestants. In the blue corner, standing at 6 feet and 6 inches, weighing in at 259 pounds, hailing from the University of Notre Dame, Kyle "The Redzone Reindeer" Rudolph! And in the red corner, our current champion, standing at 6 feet and 6 inches, weighing in at 265 pounds, all the way from the University of Arizona, Rob "The Gronk" Gronkowski!
Boy do we have an epic matchup between these two similar foes! Let's take a look at our challenger, Kyle Rudolph. He is built very similar to his opponent both height and weight wise. Like Gronk, he has huge but soft mitts for hands. Going into his fourth season, Rudolph has made a name for himself as the Vikings safety valve or redzone target. While Rudolph is not the primary, secondary, or tertiary target, he has proven himself to be reliable. His 16 TD's in four seasons is nothing to gloss over. Fellow Gronk teammate, Devin McCourty chimed in about the similarities between Rudolph and Gronkowksi.
CSNNE:
As for Rob Gronkowski, what else is there to say really? The guy was made (and even named) to play football. Heading into his fifth season, Gronk has over 3,200 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns. In all fairness to his challenger, Gronk has emerged as the primary weapon for Tom Brady. Plus you can't compare playing with Tom Brady to any of the Minnesota QBs. Gronkowski presents huge matchup problems that drive defensive coordinators insane. He will continue to be a stud tight end as long as he can remain healthy.
In conclusion, Kyle Rudolph has the build and hands like Rob Gronkowski. However, Rudolph does not command as much attention as Gronk, nor does he have the luxury of having Tommy Terrific throwing to him. The Gronk wins this matchup all day!
Infograph courtesy of eerockkMayor of Teddy City(Reddit)
Follow me on Twitter at @michaeljames24
For more of my articles, click here.
Boy do we have an epic matchup between these two similar foes! Let's take a look at our challenger, Kyle Rudolph. He is built very similar to his opponent both height and weight wise. Like Gronk, he has huge but soft mitts for hands. Going into his fourth season, Rudolph has made a name for himself as the Vikings safety valve or redzone target. While Rudolph is not the primary, secondary, or tertiary target, he has proven himself to be reliable. His 16 TD's in four seasons is nothing to gloss over. Fellow Gronk teammate, Devin McCourty chimed in about the similarities between Rudolph and Gronkowksi.
CSNNE:
Size-wise yeah. It's the same thing," McCourty said. "You see him catch the ball, it's like the ball disappears as his hands catch it. Another just huge target. That's why it's always good having that guy over there (Gronkowski) and being able to defend him in practice.
As for Rob Gronkowski, what else is there to say really? The guy was made (and even named) to play football. Heading into his fifth season, Gronk has over 3,200 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns. In all fairness to his challenger, Gronk has emerged as the primary weapon for Tom Brady. Plus you can't compare playing with Tom Brady to any of the Minnesota QBs. Gronkowski presents huge matchup problems that drive defensive coordinators insane. He will continue to be a stud tight end as long as he can remain healthy.
In conclusion, Kyle Rudolph has the build and hands like Rob Gronkowski. However, Rudolph does not command as much attention as Gronk, nor does he have the luxury of having Tommy Terrific throwing to him. The Gronk wins this matchup all day!
Infograph courtesy of eerockkMayor of Teddy City(Reddit)
Follow me on Twitter at @michaeljames24
For more of my articles, click here.
