Rob Gronkowski vs. Travis Kelce 40-yard dash time: Which star TE comes out on top?

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs has been among the candidates often considered the greatest tight end in NFL history for the past several years, and each year, he adds to his stats to support that claim.

Additionally, he recently missed out on winning his fourth Super Bowl ring, which would have further helped his case for the greatest tight end in the history of the game.

Former New England Patriots standout Rob Gronkowski is another player frequently brought up in discussions about the best tight end in league history. Gronk, who played a significant role in the Pats' dominance in New England at the end of the Tom Brady era, has the titles and the stats, but so does Kelce.

While there isn't a definitive answer to who is better between Gronkowski and Kelce, let's look at how both future Hall of Fame tight ends performed at the NFL Scouting Combine before they became NFL players.

A look at Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce's NFL Scouting Combine performances

When Rob Gronkowski took part in physical testing at the 2010 NFL Combine, he recorded a 40-yard dash timing of 4.68 seconds and 23 repetitions on the bench press. However, he did not perform other exercises because he was still healing from a back ailment. That year, he recorded the identical 40-yard time of 4.68 seconds on his pro day in Arizona.

Based on their combine stats, Travis Kelce is marginally faster than Gronkowski, but he is not far ahead.

Kelce was unable to engage in any physical activity prior to his pro day because of a sports hernia that he was carrying when he attended the 2013 NFL Combine. The former Cincinnati Bearcat had a decent 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds on his pro day.

Let's examine how Kelce and Gronkowski measured and fared on physical tests prior to joining the NFL using combine and pro day statistics:

Rob Gronkowski

Height - 6’6

Weight - 264 lbs. (120 kg)

Arm length - 34+1⁄4 inches

Hand span - 10+3⁄4 inches

40-yard dash - 4.68 seconds

10-yard split - 1.58 seconds

20-yard split - 2.68 seconds

20-yard shuttle - 4.47 seconds

Three-cone drill - 7.18 seconds

Vertical jump - 33.5 inches

Broad jump - 9 ft. 11 inches

Bench press - 23 reps

Travis Kelce

Height - 6’5

Weight - 255 lbs. (116 kg)

Arm length - 33+3⁄4 inches

Hand span - 9+5⁄8 inches

40-yard dash - 4.61 seconds

10-yard split - 1.61 seconds

20-yard split - 2.72 seconds

20-yard shuttle - 4.42 seconds

Three-cone drill - 7.09 seconds

Vertical jump - 35 inches

Broad jump - 10 ft. 4 inches