And here it is, our first glimpse of a 2010 New England Patriots rookie, Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski. I really have high hopes for Gronk and after seeing this picture I am even more excited.

Why you may ask? Because I’ve been waiting for a Patriot to rock one of those new high-tech facemasks for a while now and I think Gronk is just the man to pull it off. It’s a new look for a new decade but a new player who will be the new benchmark for what a versatile Tight End is.

As for him being #87 I don’t see how you can’t love it. We all remember when Ben “Winter” Coates was the franchise. Gronk can block. Gronk can catch. He’s going to be a Patriot beast for the next decade. Exciting!