Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I always hear about Gronk's blocking (most recently today), but PFJ's list from about 4 years ago (05/19) has this ranking:

Best Blockers
1. Ed West
2. Hoby Brenner
3. Russ Francis
4. Ron Kramer—Ditka said he "had no peer" as a blocker.
5. Jason Dunn
6. Marv Fleming
7. Larry Brown—Great blocker, hands of stone, converted to tackle
8. Bob Klein—There was serious talk of converting him to tackle.
9. Adrian Cooper
10. Marcedes Lewis
11. Paul Seymour—Was a tackle at the University of Michigan
12. Dave Casper
13. Mark Bavaro
14. John Mackey
15. Mike Ditka
16. Don Warren
17. David Hill
18. Heath Miller
19. Ronnie Lee—Such a good blocker, moved to guard and then tackle.
20. Jamie Williams
21. Clarence Kay
22. Eric Green
23. Mark Bruener
24. Dwayne Carswell
25. Howard Cross
26. Mike Barber
27. Kyle Brady
28. Willie Frazier
29. Terry Nelson
30t. Fred Arbanas
30t. Rich McGeorge
30t. Jim Kleinsasser
30t. Zach Miller
30t. Anthony Becht
30t. Fred Baxter
30t. Clarence Kay
30t. Marlin McKeever
30t. Adrian Cooper

Would Gronk make the list if it was done today?

TanksAndSpartans wrote:I always hear about Gronk's blocking (most recently today), but PFJ's list from about 4 years ago (05/19) has this ranking:


Would Gronk make the list if it was done today?

One I missed that would be on it is Paul Costa. A major omission by me.

Thanks John. So no Gronk? Not even top 30?

TanksAndSpartans wrote:Thanks John. So no Gronk? Not even top 30?

Oh yeah, I think he would be---it was close then, and looking back may have had some of the "stars" too high
but of all the post-1978 TEs that are the big-time pass catchers . . . the ones that are HOFer--he's the best blocker

How good compared to guys who were, in a lot of cases on that list, one-dimensional? Hard for me to really know.
I think If I redid he would be on it, now that this career is over...I just don't know exactly where - in the hms which
was a bunch of ties at 30? I honestly don't think he can be in the top 20 . . . he wasn't that "blue".

And got a lot of help from PSI on some of the post-1977 one-dimensional blockers.

EDIT
Kittle, too, would be on it...he's like Gronk in that among the pass catchers he's also great blocker.
I probably should have left out the Hall of Famers and just made a kind of one dimensional list
But, split milk.

As I mentioned I forgot to put in Paul Costa, just an oversight...doing a long list, just didn't get him in
didn't realize he was not there until yesterday...

Jackie Smith should be on there, too, if Mackey and Ditka are...
but Casper was better than all three . . . IMO

Austin Hooper is a blocker-type

If I were to update it, I would more TE2 types---guys with
lower snap counts - most of the list are TE1 types the starter
in a one-TE offense with some exceptions...maybe Warren one of those
but always considered him TE1 that got replaced on passing downs..

anyway, some TE2 types I'd look at and to learn about would be - Lee Smith, Nick Boyle, Chris Manhertz (now
starting), OJ Howard, if Maxx Williams could stay healthy

Seems like a lot of the best blockers have a Ravens connection . . .

I guess I could check PFF, but I have not done that yet.

Others here may know some I am missing... probably could have a list of 50
and still miss some.

EDIT 2
the chart--just a rough idea of what I think the curve looks like

TanksAndSpartans wrote:I always hear about Gronk's blocking (most recently today), but PFJ's list from about 4 years ago (05/19) has this ranking:

Best Blockers
1. Ed West
2. Hoby Brenner
3. Russ Francis
4. Ron Kramer—Ditka said he "had no peer" as a blocker.
5. Jason Dunn
6. Marv Fleming
7. Larry Brown—Great blocker, hands of stone, converted to tackle
8. Bob Klein—There was serious talk of converting him to tackle.
9. Adrian Cooper
10. Marcedes Lewis
11. Paul Seymour—Was a tackle at the University of Michigan
12. Dave Casper
13. Mark Bavaro
14. John Mackey
15. Mike Ditka
16. Don Warren
17. David Hill
18. Heath Miller
19. Ronnie Lee—Such a good blocker, moved to guard and then tackle.
20. Jamie Williams
21. Clarence Kay
22. Eric Green
23. Mark Bruener
24. Dwayne Carswell
25. Howard Cross
26. Mike Barber
27. Kyle Brady
28. Willie Frazier
29. Terry Nelson
30t. Fred Arbanas
30t. Rich McGeorge
30t. Jim Kleinsasser
30t. Zach Miller
30t. Anthony Becht
30t. Fred Baxter
30t. Clarence Kay
30t. Marlin McKeever
30t. Adrian Cooper

Would Gronk make the list if it was done today?

The irony of Rich McGeorge is that in college, he was a great pass catching TE at Elon, setting many receiving records as the main terget in a passing offense.