Why Gronk can't be stopped

— -- This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Dec. 7 Wide Receivers Issue. Subscribe today!

THE NFL'S MOST menacing pass catcher isn't a wide receiver; it's Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Everyone knows the 6-foot-6, 265-pound polar bear is too physical for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers, but the real magic is how the Patriots get him in the matchups they want. Truth be told, Tom Brady & Co. use just a handful of play concepts, but they disguise them well by changing formations and shuffling personnel. Gronkowski, who has the capacity to line up anywhere -- Bill Belichick raved earlier this year about his football IQ -- is the key that makes it all work.

And he's just the tip of a wider trend. With spread offenses taking over the high school and college ranks, tight ends are coming into the NFL more capable of running the same routes as those speedy guys on the outside. Since 2005, tight end targets are up 26.9 percent and receptions are up 31.7. This season alone, tight ends have lined up in the slot on more than 20 percent of all plays -- a 32 percent increase from 2008, when ESPN began tracking formation data.

But Gronk still stands out from the crowd -- for his production and for how creatively the Patriots use him. This season he has set up as a traditional on-the-line tight end on only 45 percent of his plays, compared with the league average of 66 percent. He's been split wide on 22 percent of plays, most of any tight end, and in the slot 32 percent of the time (10th among tight ends with at least 100 snaps). Results have followed: Through Week 10, his 806 receiving yards and 49 receptions were tops in the NFL for tight ends, and his eight TDs ranked second.

Here, we break down three routes that show how the Patriots use Gronk to attack three of the most common defenses: man, cover 2 and cover 3. Teams have tried other ways to stop him, but so far none has worked.