Tennessee Football: Vols Tight End Jason Croom Could be the Next Rob Gronkowski

By Caleb Calhoun | Aug 25, 2016

Nov 15, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jason Croom (18) during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 50 to 16. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Tennessee football senior Jason Croom has converted to tight end for the Volunteers and is similar to Rob Gronkowski of the NFL’s New England Patriots.

This is the biggest limb we’ve gone out on in a long time. But at the risk of being screamed at by every Boston sports fan who still won’t admit Tom Brady’s guilty of anything and who refuse to believe that the Red Sox buy championships just like the Yankees, we’re about to make a blasphemous comparison on behalf of Tennessee football.

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Jason Croom, who converted to tight end in the offseason, has the potential to be the next Rob Gronkowski.

Without playing a snap at the position, we are already predicting that the fifth-year senior will lead the Vols in touchdown receptions this year and supplant Ethan Wolf as the top tight end, although both will play a lot.

Croom pulled a move similar to former Vol David Martin, which he did after he reached the NFL in 2001. After three years of playing as a huge size mismatch at receiver, Croom missed all of 2015 due to injury.

Then the coaches converted him to tight end in the offseason.

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Make no mistake, this is going to be the biggest mismatch all year in college football. Croom stands at 6’5″ and is approaching 250 pounds. He has wide receiver speed. There’s nobody who will be able to guard him, linebacker or defensive back.

All reports indicate he could have gotten to over 260 or even beyond, but due to Wolf’s presence, coaches wanted him at his current weight. Still, when he reaches the NFL, he could clearly get to Gronkowski’s weight of over 265.

And when he does that, their playing styles will be exactly the same.

Coaches already have plans to line up Croom at tight end, in the flex, in the slot, and even sometimes as a wideout. Guess who does that in the NFL. Gronk.

Gronkowki’s upside six years ago was the fact that he could play wide receiver with a tight end’s size. That is going to be the exact profile on Croom beyond any other tight end who has come out in recent memory.

When you consider that Croom has a 40 time between 4.5 and 4.6 while Gronk has trouble keeping his under 4.7, he also has a speed advantage as well, even if Gronk has a size advantage. And if Croom does add that size, his 40 time at the worst will mirror Gronkowski’s.

He already has the hands and route-running abilities, which would make him the perfect guy for Bill Belichick, Brady, and the Patriots’ system.

Even the weaknesses between the two are similar.

Gronk was a medical risk coming out of college after missing his senior year due to a back injury. Croom could also be a medical risk after missing 2015.

Croom struggled to pick up run blocking in the offseason. That’s been his only weakness at learning the position. Gronkowksi has been a pathetic run blocker his entire career in the NFL.

So yes, Croom has not yet played one snap at tight end for the Vols. Heck, he’s going to be an alternate starter for Tennessee football at tight end this year.

But there’s another member of the New England Patriots who was an alternate starter his senior year in college. That guy was Tom Brady. Seeing the parallels now?

This is our biggest, boldest prediction about Tennessee football this year. But it’s one we’re sticking to.

must read: Tennessee Football: 10 Biggest Takeaways from Vols Fall Camp

Jason Croom is going to break out as a tight end. By next year, he’ll draw comparisons to Rob Gronkowski as he enters the NFL Draft.

Because of his rare combinations, teams will be fighting to take him.

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