Rob Gronkowski was injured while blocking on an extra-point attempt. Photo by Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

It was the most eventful Sunday of the season for former Arizona Wildcats in the NFL.

Let’s start with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The All-Pro, near the end of a brilliant game in which he had seven catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns, suffered a broken left forearm while blocking for an extra point.

He is expected to be out 4-to-6 weeks, which should put him back in time for the playoffs, at the latest.

Gronkowski has 53 receptions for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games this season.

It also was an unhappy day for rookie quarterback Nick Foles, making his first start with the Philadelphia Eagles, replacing Michael Vick (concussion). Foles was intercepted on his first two possessions and struggled through a 31-6 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Foles completed 21 of 46 passes for 204 yards, with no touchdowns.

“I didn’t play well at all. I know it,” he told reporters after the game (video here).

“Tomorrow is another day and an opportunity to get better. … I’ve played bad games before. This is one of them.”

Philly fans had hoped Foles was the savior … but, hey, it was just one game. The Eagles are a mess right now at 3-7, having lost six in a row. They have a ton of issues other than quarterback and could soon (OK, almost certainly) be looking for a new coach.

Meanwhile, Foles’ favorite target at Arizona, the Oakland Raiders’ Juron Criner, made the first touchdown catch of his NFL career. The rookie fifth-rounder, who routinely made difficult catches in the end zone at Arizona, made an over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline for a 3-yard score (video here).

Criner has seven catches this season — five in the past two weeks.

In other ex-Cat news, the Cleveland Browns added defensive end Ricky Elmore to their practice squad last week. Elmore, a sixth-round pick of Green Bay in 2011, was released from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in September.

This is Elmore’s fifth team.

Here is the list of former Arizona Wildcats in the NFL:

Active
–Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago
–Eben Britton, OL, Jacksonville
–Antoine Cason, CB, San Diego
–Juron Criner, WR, Oakland
–Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia
–Nick Folk, PK, New York Jets
–Robert Golden, DB, Pittsburgh
–Chris Gronkowski, FB, Denver
–Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England
–Earl Mitchell, DT, Houston
–Brooks Reed, OLB, Houston
–D’Aundre Reed, DE, Minnesota
–Mike Thomas, WR, Detroit
–Trevin Wade, CB, Cleveland

Practice squad
–WR David Douglas (New York Giants)
–OLB Ricky Elmore (Cleveland)

Waived
–C Colin Baxter (San Diego)
–WR Gino Crump (Arizona)
–DE Lionel Dotson (Buffalo)
–OL Adam Grant (Denver)
–TE Fendi Onobun (Buffalo)
–LB Paul Vassallo (Arizona)

Injured reserve
–LB Spencer Larsen (New England)
–DB Nate Ness (Carolina)

Juron Criner (right) celebrates his touchdown catch with Oakland Raiders receiver Rod Streater. Photo by Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

Rob Gronkowski had a good time on the ESPYs red carpet with tennis player Daniela Hantuchova. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

NFL camps have started … do you know where your former Arizona Wildcats are?

Offseason news has been dominated by ex-UA tight end Rob Gronkowski, who followed up his record-setting second season with the New England Patriots with what is widely referred to as the “Summer of Gronk.”

Let the Boston Globe describe it:

“Gronkowski, in no particular order, won a celebrity home run derby at the Triple-A All-Star Game (reportedly hitting one 325 feet), appeared on The Choice, a dating show, co-hosted Access Hollywood Live, judged a celebrity bikini contest in Las Vegas and walked the ESPY’s red carpet. He also attended the premier of the movie “Ted,” hung out with Kim Kardashian, was one of the naked cover boys for ESPN The Magazine, and ran a viral video campaign trying to land on the cover of the Madden video game.

Oh, and he also signed a six-year contract extension worth $54 million – the richest deal ever given to a tight end. It includes $18.17 million in guaranteed money.”

Oh, to be Gronk.

Gronk is the headliner among the former Arizona Wildcats in the NFL, with 22 players on camp rosters.

Here is a look at who is where:

Colin Baxter, C, San Diego
Baxter, who started an Arizona Wildcats record 48 consecutive games, bounced between the Chargers and the New York Jets as a rookie. The former undrafted free agent is battling for a backup spot in camp with San Diego.

Recent story: Baxter, Molk at center of Chargers competition (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago
Briggs is the most-decorated of the former Wildcats in the NFL, a stalwart on the Bears’ defense for the past nine seasons, recording 969 tackles. Being selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls puts him in unbelievable company in franchise history; Bill George, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary are the only other Bears to accomplish that. He is still going strong at 31, and he signed a contract extension in the spring to take him through the 2014 season.

Eben Britton, OT, Jacksonville
Britton started 15 games at right tackle as a rookie in 2009, but injuries have limited him to 11 games over the past two seasons. The Jags hope he can lock down the right tackle position, again, in camp.

Antoine Cason, CB, San Diego
Cason, the 2007 Jim Thorpe Award winner and the brightest defensive star of the Mike Stoops era, has started the past two seasons for the Chargers, breaking up 17 passes each year. The former first-round pick has 10 career interceptions in four NFL seasons.

Juron Criner could be quite a catch for the Raiders. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Juron Criner, WR, Oakland
One of the most prolific receivers in school history (209 catches for 2,859 yards and a UA-record 32 touchdowns), Criner drew rave reviews in Raiders’ OTAs and minicamps after being selected in the fifth round. Could be a steal.

Recent story: Raiders’ Criner signs contract on eve of first practice (CBSSports.com)

Gino Crump, WR, Arizona Cardinals
The undrafted free agent had a good senior season (65 catches, 610 yards, two TDs) and was signed by the Cardinals on May 30. Before that, he attended the Buffalo Bills mini-camp, but was retained. Said Cardinals star WR Larry Fitzgerald in the Arizona Republic in June: “He’s explosive; he has really good hands, a good feel.”

David Douglas, WR, New York Giants
Douglas faces long odds as an undrafted free agent, but he showed great hands and route running at Arizona, and his athleticism was often underrated. He made 117 receptions in his final two seasons with the Cats.

Ricky Elmore, OLB, San Diego
He was a sixth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2011, but didn’t make it through camp while trying to transition from a prolific college defensive end to NFL outside linebacker. Elmore, who had 21.5 sacks in his final two seasons at Arizona, is getting another chance with the Chargers.

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia
An Arizona quarterback in the NFL? Foles, who rewrote the Wildcats passing records, will try to become the first former UA quarterback to throw a pass in an NFL game since Bill Demory in 1973. Foles, a third-round pick, could battle Mike Kafka for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Michael Vick, according to some reports.

Recent story: Foles has strategy to attack Birds’ playbook (CSNPhilly.com)

Nick Folk, PK, New York Jets
Folk, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys in 2007, has connected on 49 of 64 field goals in his two seasons with the Jets and has hit from beyond 50 yards in each of his five NFL seasons. He and veteran kicker Josh Brown will compete in camp for a roster spot.

Robert Golden, DB, Pittsburgh
Golden, an undrafted free agent, started at cornerback and safety with Arizona. He’ll be trying to latch on with the Steelers at safety.

Adam Grant, OT, Denver
Undrafted after the 2010 season, Grant stuck with the Broncos’ practice squad all of last season and was invited back to camp.

Chris Gronkowski, FB, Denver
His favorable rookie season in Dallas in 2010 took a bad turn when he missed a block that got quarterback Tony Romo injured. Gronkowski played seven games for the Colts last season before being shut down because of a torn pectoral muscle. Perhaps he will get a chance to do this season what he didn’t last year with the Colts — protect Peyton Manning.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England
The NFL party boy is coming back from post-Super Bowl ankle surgery (he says it’s 100 percent) and he will try to continue his march toward being one of the great tight ends in NFL history. He caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns last season (a record for tight ends).

Recent story: Bill Simmons tells three crazy Rob Gronkowski stories from the ESPYs (BusinessInsider.com)

Spencer Larsen, FB, New England
The former All-Pac-10 linebacker was a two-way player for his first two seasons in Denver, famously starting at fullback and at linebacker in the same game as a rookie. After four seasons with the Broncos, Larsen moved on to the Patriots in the offseason. He signed a two-year contract but will have to earn a roster spot in camp; his special teams ability will help.

Earl Mitchell, DT, Houston
Mitchell is a third-year pro who has been a solid contributor to the Texans, making 55 career tackles, and he’s back to battle Shaun Cody again for playing time at nose tackle. He might not be the traditional plugger in the middle of the 3-4 front, but he puts his athleticism to good use and should have a long NFL career.

Fendi Onobun, TE, Buffalo
The former Arizona basketball power forward, who played one season of football at the University of Houston, is on his fifth NFL team after being a sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2010. He has played in four NFL games, making two catches.

Brooks Reed, OLB, Houston
Reed was excellent as a rookie last season, stepping into a starting role and making 45 tackles, including six sacks in the regular season. The former UA defensive end — a second-round pick — is quick with his pass-rushing first step, and Wildcats fans know all about his relentless motor.

Recent story: Texans LB coach: Sky’s the limit for Brooks Reed (Houston Chronicle)

D’Aundre Reed, DE, Minnesota
Reed, despite being a backup at Arizona, was intriguing enough as an athlete to be a seventh-round pick in 2011. He was not active for any game last season.

Mike Thomas, WR, Jacksonville
Thomas, a fourth-round pick in 2009, set a franchise rookie record with 48 catches for 453 yards. He followed up with team-highs in catches in each of the past two seasons, although the Jags’ aerial attack was rather anemic last year with rookie QB Blaine Gabbert. Thomas, who caught 44 passes for 415 yards last season, will have a new running mate this season to spark the passing game — two-time Biletnikoff winner Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State.

Paul Vassallo, LB, Arizona
Vassallo, signed as an undrafted rookie free agent, made 172 tackles, including 13 for loss, in his two seasons with the Wildcats after transferring from junior college.

Trevin Wade, CB, Cleveland
The seventh-round rookie had a solid senior season, bouncing back from junior struggles, and looked good in various offseason activities. “I think he’s got a feel for playing the game at corner,” Browns coach Pat Shurmer recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Waived
–DE Lionel Dotson (Buffalo)

NOTE: Former UA returner/receiver Travis Cobb, an undrafted free agent after the 2010 season, worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

Brooks Reed will be looking to build off a productive rookie season. Photo by Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

If Rob Gronkowski had only been a step closer ... Photo by Richard Mackson, US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcat tight end Rob Gronkowski almost made what would have been something like, oh, the greatest play in the history of football.

A Hail Mary to win the Super Bowl?

Nearly.

On third-and-Super Bowl from the New England 49-yard line, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady unleashed a pass into the end zone. Tight end Aaron Hernandez was there — as was a trio of New York Giants defenders — and the ball was batted into the air and slightly back toward the goal line.

Another look of the final play in Super Bowl XLVI. Photo by Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

If only Gronkowski had been a step closer. Or the ball had been tantalizingly knocked backward just another foot.

Gronkowski was in front of the play, ready for the carom (just like former UA receiver Mike Thomas in a regular-season game with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010).

Gronk dived … but he couldn’t scoop the ball before it hit the Lucas Oil Stadium turf. Game over. Giants 21, Patriots 17.

Gronkowski — who set NFL regular-season records for a tight end with 1,327 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns — was just a shell of himself in the Super Bowl because of a high ankle sprain suffered two weeks earlier.

Brady threw his way only once in the first half — good for a 20-yard gain — and Gronkowski finished with two catches for 26 yards. Brady tried to find him deep once in the second half, but middle linebacker Chase Blackburn intercepted the underthrown pass.

And so, former Denver Broncos receiver Vance Johnson remains the only former Arizona Wildcat to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. He caught a 47-yard scoring pass from John Elway in Super Bowl XXI … 25 years ago, as Denver lost to the New York Giants 39-20.

Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn intercepts this pass intended for Rob Gronkowski in the second half. Photo by Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Rob Gronkowski spikes the ball after one of his three TD catches in a playoff game vs. Denver last weekend. Photo by David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Just going to throw you a link here to a slideshow on SI.com that goes a long way to showing that it’s Rob Gronkowski’s world; we just live in it. Included are a couple of shots from his too-brief days at Arizona.

The Fabulous Life of Rob Gronkowski

With 17 receiving touchdowns, Rob Gronkowski has done a lot of spiking this season. Photo by Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

The honors keep rolling in, deservedly so, for former Arizona Wildcats tight end Rob Gronkowski. He made the prestigious NFL All-Pro team, as selected by the AP.

Gronkowski, earlier selected to the Pro Bowl game, set NFL records for receiving yards for a tight end (1,327) and touchdowns for a tight end (17) in his second season with the New England Patriots.

“I don’t even care about that anymore,” he told reporters on Wednesday, talking about the regular season.

“It’s a one-game season now. All that kind of stuff, whatever we did, our records, our win-loss column, that doesn’t matter anymore. That’s all in the past. It’s a one-game season now and that’s all we’re worried about.”

Gronkowski and the Patriots have a bye this week while awaiting their first postseason foe.

Other former Wildcats in the playoffs are defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and outside linebacker Brooks Reed (Houston, vs. Cincinnati on Saturday), and fullback Spencer Larsen (Denver, vs. Pittsburgh on Sunday).

Rookie free agent offensive tackle Adam Grant is on the Broncos’ practice squad.

With this catch in the end zone, Rob Gronkowski sets the NFL record for TD receptions in a season by a tight end. Photo by Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcats tight end Rob Gronkowski spiked the ball and instantly realized his mistake. That was one football he wanted to keep.

He searched the sky for the bouncing football and then located it in the back of the end zone, marking the 14th time he scored on a reception this season, an NFL record for a tight end. Gronkowski, a second-year player for the New England Patriots, went on to catch another touchdown pass Sunday, part of an afternoon in which he had a career-high 160 yards on six receptions.

“It’s cool to get a record and everything, but it really (doesn’t) matter. We got the team victory,” he told reporters after a 34-27 victory at Washington.

He joked he would use the keepsake football in order to practice his spikes in the offseason.

Gronk should have a degree in spiking by now. He has 16 touchdowns this season, including one that was credited as a run because the pass was a lateral. He has 26 career touchdowns in 29 regular-season games with the Patriots.

He’s still so young — he’s 22 — he could have been a redshirt senior on this year’s Arizona team. (Sadly for Wildcats fan, his career never overlapped with that of record-setting quarterback Nick Foles.)

Rob Gronkowski spikes the ball after his first touchdown Sunday. Photo by Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

“He’s tough. He’s a good guy. He’s a strong runner and always makes that catch,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Sunday.

“There were some great catches and runs that he made today and he’s obviously a huge part of this offense. It’s great to see him make plays like that today. … He’s a big guy and tough to bring down. He’s a good route runner and good blocker and a smart player.

“(He’s) very dependable and consistent. He’s really been doing that all season.”

Gronkowski’s best play Sunday was one in which he didn’t score. He made a diving catch over the middle, got up, dragged a couple of Washington defenders for a few yards before shaking them off along the right sideline, and then he tight-roped the sideline for a 49-yard gain.

“I was just running,” he said. “When I don’t hear a whistle, I just keep playing.”

Gronkowski already has the second-most NFL touchdown receptions for an Arizona Wildcat. It took Vance Johnson 10 years and 128 games, all with the Denver Broncos, to accumulate 37 touchdown catches.

At his rate, Gronkowski will match that midway through his third NFL season.

He said Sunday he didn’t think he would have this kind of wild success after his Arizona days, when he had 16 touchdown receptions in 22 games before missing the 2008 season because of back surgery.

“I mean, you just go out to practice,” Gronkowski said. “You go out to work every single day. You just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Rob Gronkowski running after the catch was one of the best parts of the Mike Stoops era. Tucson Citizen photo

Mike Stoops was the football coach of the Arizona Wildcats for 7 1/2 seasons, during which time he brought in some of the program’s all-time brightest stars.

Cornerback Antoine Cason won the 2007 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back and was a late first-round pick in 2008.

Wide receiver Mike Thomas is the Pac-12 career leader in receptions.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski was a beast — albeit, all too briefly at Arizona — before quickly becoming a star with the New England Patriots.

Senior quarterback Nick Foles is on pace to rewrite several school season and career passing records in the next six week.

There definitely were some high notes, but in putting together an All-Stoops team, a couple of issues emerge — the dearth of standouts on the offensive line and a lack of explosive playmakers at linebacker.

Here is a look at the best who played for Stoops — the All-Stoops team:

QB — Nick Foles
For now, Willie Tuitama has Arizona’s career passing record with 9,211 yards, and his early commitment for Stoops’ 2005 recruiting class was perhaps the first big sign that the program was moving again in the right direction.

But Foles is closing in on Tuitama’s record with 7,931 career yards. If he continues at his pace in the first half of the season (375.8 yards per game), he’ll finish the season with 10,186 yards.

RB — Mike Bell, Nic Grigsby
Stoops inherited Bell, who rushed for a combined 1,896 yards and 10 touchdowns in the coach’s first two seasons at Arizona. Grigsby battled injuries in his final two seasons and wasn’t able to replicate his sophomore season (1,153 yards and 13 touchdowns), but he did finish with 2,957 career rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns.

This is Mike Thomas scoring on a punt return vs. Washington in 2008. Photo by Gregory Shamus, Getty Images Sport

WR — Mike Thomas, Juron Criner
Thomas was a contributor from his very first game — seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown at Utah in 2005 — and never stopped putting up good numbers. By the time his career ended with a catch on the final play of the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl, he had a Pac-12 record 260 catches.

Criner makes the list on the strength of his brilliant junior season (82 catches, 1,233 yards, 11 touchdowns). His 24 receiving touchdowns are tied for second in school history.

TE — Rob Gronkowski
He played in only 22 games at Arizona, sitting out 2009 because of back problems and then leaving for the NFL with two seasons of eligibility remaining, but he holds school season and career records for receptions, yards and touchdowns by a tight end.

Gronkowski, a third-team All-American in 2008, had 75 catches for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns in those 22 games. And UA fans will forever wonder if his presence in 2009 could have lifted Arizona past Oregon in a mid-November game. The Ducks won in double overtime, robbing the Cats of the chance to be in the driver’s seat for the Pac-12 title.

OL — Colin Baxter, Eben Britton, Adam Grant, Joe Longacre, Mike Diaz
Baxter, with a school-record 48 consecutive starts, is the clear pick at center. Britton was the only Arizona offensive lineman to earn first-team all-conference honors during the Stoops years.

Grant persevered through injuries and became a second-team all-league choice in 2009 and 2010. Longacre, a guard, provided stability with 40 career starts. Diaz started 20 games after transferring from junior college, the bulk of them at left tackle during 2009.

DL — Brooks Reed, Ricky Elmore, Earl Mitchell, Lionel Dotson
Reed and Elmore were high-energy ends for Stoops’ most recent teams. Elmore had 21.5 sacks in the past two seasons. Reed earned first-team all-conference honors last season and had 17 career sacks.

Mitchell and Dotson are the All-Stoops tackles. Mitchell was an anchor after moving from fullback for his final two seasons and developing into an NFL talent. Dotson’s senior season in 2007 — 50 tackles, including nine for loss and 6.5 sacks — was the best for an Arizona interior defensive lineman in several years.

Spencer Larsen takes on USC's Joe McKnight in a 2007 game. Photo by Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

LB — Spencer Larsen, Ronnie Palmer, Xavier Kelley
Larsen returned from a two-year church mission after playing as a freshman in 2002 and joined Stoops’ squad for the 2005 season. He made 131 tackles as a senior in an All-Pac-10 season, and his 312 career tackles were the most for a UA player in the decade.

Palmer, who started 41 games, led the Cats in tackles (85) and tackles for loss (11) in 2008.

The third spot is up for debate. Sterling Lewis? Vuna Tuihalamaka? Paul Vassallo? All were junior college transfers. Kelley — undersized but speedy — was a four-year player who was second-team all-league in 2009.

CB — Antoine Cason, Trevin Wade
Cason had 15 career interceptions, with highlight-making returns for touchdowns in a 2006 upset of No. 8 Cal and a 2006 upset of No. 2 Oregon a year later. Wade gets the nod over Wilrey Fontenot and others. Wade, a senior, has 11 career interceptions and 27 pass break-ups.

S — Darrell Brooks, Michael Johnson
Brooks was a leader on Stoops’ early teams and the coach’s first all-conference player, winning first-team honors in 2005. Johnson was a key junior college transfer, with 107 tackles and five interceptions in two seasons. Plenty of other solid candidates to consider: Cam Nelson, Nate Ness, Robert Golden.

P — Danny Baugher
A leftover from the John Mackovic era, Baugher punter for Stoops for two season and was leading the nation in punting in 2005 when his season ended in the seventh game because of an ACL injury. His average of 47.5 yards that season qualifies as the school season record.

PK — Nick Folk
Jason Bondzio was more accurate on field goals, but Folk had a big leg and went on to make a name for himself in the NFL. Folk, in 2006, also was the Pac-10′s first-team all-conference punter, averaging 44 yards per attempt.

AP — Syndric Steptoe
Steptoe was a versatile performer for the Wildcats, including two punt returns for touchdowns. He played briefly pre-Stoops in 2003, finishing his career with 1,584 receiving yards, 590 punt return yards and 1,757 kick return yards.

Colin Baxter was with the Chargers in the preseason but didn't survive the final cut. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Former Arizona Wildcats center Colin Baxter has gone from being waived in the preseason by the San Diego Chargers to starting for the New York Jets.

The Jets picked up Baxter as insurance on a banged-up offensive line, and then had to turn to the undrafted rookie free agent last week when All-Pro center Nick Mangold left with a sprained ankle in the first quarter of a win over Jacksonville.

Baxter finished the game at center and is likely to start this week as the Jets look to go 3-0 in Sunday’s game at Oakland.

“I think Baxter did a great job considering how he was thrown in there,” coach Rex Ryan said at his Monday news conference. “He had a couple of mental mistakes, but I was proud of the way he jumped in there.”

Baxter started a school-record 48 consecutive games at Arizona, earning a reputation as the toughest and nastiest player on the offensive line. He carried on late last season through torn meniscus in his right knee before opting for surgery before the bowl game. The rehab cost him workout time in front of NFL scouts, one of the reasons why he went undrafted.

Now, he’ll be snapping to quarterback Mark Sanchez for one of the top teams in the AFC.

“It’s crazy,” he told reporters Monday. “It goes to show that if you keep working at it, you’ll get your shot, some sooner, some later. Mine just happened to be sooner.”

His replacement with the Wildcats, junior Kyle Quinn, said he receives “good luck” texts from Baxter before games.

“We text each other every now and again,” Quinn said. “He’s pretty busy and he’s fighting his tail off with the Jets.”

At AFC East New England, second-year tight end Rob Gronkowski has three touchdowns in two games, giving him 13 in 18 regular-season games. It will be a big week for Gronkowski and his older brother, Dan, also a tight end with the Patriots, as they return to play a game in their hometown of Buffalo.

Here is the list of ex-Cats in the NFL:

–Colin Baxter, C, New York Jets
–Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago
–Eben Britton, OT, Jacksonville
–Antoine Cason, DB, San Diego
–Nick Folk, PK, New York Jets
–Chris Gronkowski, FB, Indianapolis
–Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England
–Spencer Larsen, FB, Denver
–Earl Mitchell, DT, Houston
–Brooks Reed, LB, Houston
–D’Aundre Reed, DE, Minnesota
–Mike Thomas, WR, Jacksonville

Practice squads
–Lionel Dotson, DL, Buffalo
–Adam Grant, OT, Denver
–Nic Grigsby, RB, Miami
–Nate Ness, CB, Washington
–Fendi Onobun, TE, Seahawks

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski celebrates a second-half touchdown against San Diego last week. Photo by Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

Brooks Reed is earning potential second-round consideration.
Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Former Arizona Wildcats defensive end Brooks Reed, coming off impressive workouts at the Senior Bowl in January, earned more positive reviews at the NFL Combine on Monday.

He told me in an interview a couple of weeks ago that his goal was to “show them I can run fast at 260.”

Well, he checked in at 6-2 1/2 and 263 pounds … and he ran fast.

Reed ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash Monday, which was tied for third among defensive ends. Lacking ideal size for the position, he also is being looked at as a pass-rushing outside linebacker, so that 40 time was critical to how scouts project him.

Chad Reuter of NFLDraftScout.com wrote this for CBSSports.com after Monday’s workouts:

Brooks Reed (Arizona) has gotten a lot of comparisons to NFL Defensive Player of the Year Clay Matthews over the past few weeks. He’s not quite as athletic as Matthews, but Reed’s respectable 4.67 40, ability to change direction fluidity, and quickness in turn-the-corner drills make him a legitimate second-round pick as a 3-4 rush linebacker.

Let’s say Reed, a Sabino High graduate, continues to do well in postseason workouts and he becomes a second-round pick. That would mean that Arizona will have produced at least a second-round pick in five consecutive drafts, which be the longest such streak in school history.

Here’s how it breaks down:

2007 — RB Chris Henry (second round, 50th overall)
2008 — CB Antoine Cason (first round, 27th overall)
2009 — OT Eben Britton (second round, 39th overall)
2010 — TE Rob Gronkowski (second round, 42nd overall)
2011 — Reed?

Arizona’s other draft possibilities include DE Ricky Elmore, DE D’Aundre Reed, OT Adam Grant and C Colin Baxter, although none is as highly rated as Brooks Reed.

On an historical note, Arizona produced five second-round picks or better in the four-year span from 1989 to 1992.

Those picks were: C Joe Tofflemire (second round, 1989), LB Chris Singleton and DE Anthony Smith (both first round, 1990), CB Darryll Lewis (second round, 1991) and OT John Fina (second round, 1992).

Rob Gronkowski celebrates a touchdown Sunday, his 10th of the season.
Photo by Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcat tight end Rob Gronkowski wrapped up his first regular season with his first 100-yard game for the New England Patriots.

Gronkowski had six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 38-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

The touchdown reception gave him 10 for the season, setting a franchise mark for a rookie. He is just the fourth Patriots player to reach double-digit touchdown receptions, joining Randy Moss, Stanley Morgan and Jim Colclough.

As mentioned here last week, Gronkowski has the most touchdown receptions in a season for any former Arizona Wildcat.

That’s nice … but, for Arizona fans, does anybody other than this guy on the WildcatSportsReport.com message board have the “Rob Gronkowski blues?”