We cannot blame Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
His greatest career accomplishments so far were realized when he was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots.
McDaniels is a six-time Super Bowl Champion from those glory years with the Patriots.
That success did not follow him to Las Vegas in his first season as the Raiders head coach.
In 2022, his team went 6-11.
In addition to signing former Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the 2023 offseason, McDaniels just drafted a tight end that has similarities to Rob Gronkowski, so much so that he is nicknamed “Baby Gronk.”
His real name is Michael Mayer, and he was a tight end at Notre Dame.
The Raiders traded up from 38th to 35th to draft him early in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Raiders traded the 38th and 141st picks to the Colts for the 35th pick. Josh McDaniels gets a tight end nicknamed "Baby Gronk". https://t.co/WpfVfbFHy3
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 28, 2023
There Are Similarities
Take a look at this touchdown catch Mayer made against Florida State, and you can see similarities between the two.
Michael Mayer is “BABY GRONK” 😜
The @Raiders select the @NDFootball TE at No. 35 overall.pic.twitter.com/uv85qjsb16
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) April 28, 2023
Apart from the obvious jersey number and the fact both are tight ends, the two have similar body types.
Their listed weights are identical at 265 pounds.
Mayer is listed as 6’4″ while Gronkowski is 6’6″.
Fans Do Not Like The Nickname
Some fans are annoyed with the “Baby Gronk” nickname.
They believe every big white man who played tight end in the past decade has been compared to Gronk and given the nickname.
Fun Fact: every hyped big, Caucasian tight end in the last decade has been nicknamed “Baby Gronk”. Please end this. https://t.co/VjN1fW4THl
— Mikey “Beardown” Cuz (@BeardownCuz) April 28, 2023
NFL insider Chris Simms apparently got the message.
In his tweet, he describes Michael Mayer by his style of play, but it sounds eerily familiar.
“Man good luck stopping this @Raiders offense with all there weapons and now with Michael Mayer who is old school. Physical smash mouth blocker. And when he get in the ball in his hands. He is violent!! Raiders skills guys are pretty legit!!”
Calling him “old school” and a “physical smash mouth blocker” reminds all of us of Gronk.
Whatever you call him: Michael Mayer or “Baby Gronk,” he can only hope to have a portion of the success that Rob Gronkowski had during his 11-year playing career.
Gronk was a four-time Super Bowl Champion, five-time Pro Bowler, four-time First-Team All-Pro, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2014, and the NFL receiving touchdowns leader in 2011.
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