Christian Fauria weighed in on the all-time tight end debate, but it didn’t keep anyone in suspense. The former New England Patriots tight end’s list was topped by Rob Gronkowski and, in his view, “there’s Gronk and a gap.”

However, his assessment wasn’t quite flattering for Travis Kelce, who didn’t crack the top two. He took issue with Kelce’s blocking, then hedged on how much that should count against the Kansas City Chiefs star.

Christian Fauria Questions Travis Kelce’s Blocking Ability

Fauria spent 13 seasons in the NFL as a tight end and won two Super Bowls during his four years with the Patriots, from 2002 to 2005. Blocking came up again and again as he made his case for the position’s best.

Tony Gonzalez earned his place on more than his hands. “Tony Gonzalez never gets enough credit for being a capable blocker,” Fauria said while speaking on the NESN podcast. “Now, he didn’t destroy people, but he was pretty damn good for a guy that caught as many passes as he did. So, I think Tony’s my number two.”

Kelce didn’t get the same credit, at least not at first. “Now, Kelce gets a lot of flak because … he’s soft. He’s just, he’s soft, right? That’s no disrespect,” Fauria said. “Doesn’t mean he couldn’t beat you up in a fight, but when it comes to blocking, I just don’t think he has a willingness to do it. But I also don’t know if it matters as much.”

Fauria’s evaluation drew on criteria that Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh outlined in a position-by-position scouting piece titled “PSX Draft Insider special.”

“I saw this scouting report that Bill wrote, and he wrote up criteria for every position, and he came to the tight end position. … He didn’t say blocking was that important.

“He said you needed to be a willing blocker. And that’s what Travis Kelce is. That’s what Shannon Sharpe is. They’re willing blockers. It doesn’t mean they’re great at it. They’re not moving or setting the edge, but they’re not blowing up running plays.”

Pro Football Network posted the NFL’s 10 highest-graded blocking tight ends this week, but Kelce didn’t feature on the list.

Why Fauria Believes Rob Gronkowski Stands Alone at the Tight End Position

“Gronk could do everything all those other guys can do,” Fauria said. “He could find the void. He could finesse you in zone. He could run deep. He can run seams. He can run shallows. He can run crossers.”

Another point for Gronkowski brought Kelce back into the conversation, this time on friendlier terms.

“And the other thing is that he could play the wide receiver position like Shannon Sharpe in the slot, Gronk in the slot, Travis Kelce, like, just unobstructed,” Fauria said.

Fauria added that if he were to grade the position “like it should be graded, I don’t know how you could say it’s anyone other than Gronk.”

Kelce, though, is finding that kind of open space this season. He has 29 catches for 410 yards and two touchdowns so far, and his 3.9 yards of average separation at the catch point ranks among the league’s best, according to Next Gen Stats.

The Chiefs star also ranks fourth in PFN’s NFL TE Impact Score with an 85.9 grade through eight weeks.