New England Patriots: Top 5 pass catching tight ends of all time

Oct 30, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrates by spiking the ball after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /

Ben Coates (1991-99)

Talk about dominant. Tight end Ben Coates was an unstoppable force in the New England Patriots offense for over eight seasons.

Though he played the majority of his Patriots career catching the ball from Drew Bledsoe, one has to wonder what type of numbers he would’ve put up playing with Tom Brady. The big, fast, powerful tight end really emerged in 1994 after entering the league in 1991.

In that season, he had a whopping 96 receptions for 1,174 yards and 7 touchdowns. He began that season with three straight 100-yard games. What stood out about Ben Coates was his ability to get open when he wasn’t open.

That attribute was one main reason he holds the NFL’s single-season reception record for a tight in with those 96 receptions. Although Coates finished his career with the Baltimore Ravens and just missed out on the beginning of the Patriots dynasty, No. 87 did win a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in 2000.

Inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2008, Ben Coates was really the first pass-catching tight end who became a focal point in the Patriots’ offense. He was so valuable, the team tried to find similar types of tight ends like Ben Watson. They were finally successful in finding a tight end even better in 2010, which leads to the No. 1 tight end of all time.

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