Tony Romeo (1962-67), Thomas Stephens (1960-64), and Bob Windsor (1972-75), left to right, were among the Patriots' first tight ends.

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Jim Whalen (1965-69), left, was a Cambridge native and BC product who was a Pro Bowler in 1968.

UPI

Don Hasselbeck (1977-83), right, had his best season in 1981, with 46 catches for 808 yards and six touchdowns.

Russ Francis (1975-1980, 1987-88) was a three-time Pro Bowler in New England whom Bill Belichick would later bring back and tell his players to emulate.

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Lin Dawson (1981-90) played his entire career in New England. He never caught 40 passes in one season, however.

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Marv Cook (1989-93) continued the tradition of Patriots tight ends reaching Pro Bowl status when he earned the honors in 1991 and 1992.

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Ben Coates (1991-99), who was difficult to bring down at times, went to five straight Pro Bowls from 1994-1998.

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Jermaine Wiggins (2000-01), a product of East Boston, played just two seasons in New England, but was instrumental in the team's run to a Super Bowl XXXVI title.

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Christian Fauria (2002-2005) caught 79 passes over his four seasons, and helped the Patriots win two Super Bowl titles.

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Daniel Graham (2002-2006) was a first round pick who scored 17 touchdowns over five seasons and helped the Patriots win two Super Bowl titles.

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Benjamin Watson (2004-2009) was a first-round pick who caught 167 passes and scored 20 touchdowns over six seasons.

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Hernandez was a fourth round in 2010 who became a huge value pick for the Patriots, who gave him a multi-year contract extension in August.

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Gronkowski set a new record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end in 2011, and has helped to re-think how much production is possible from a tight end.