Crockett Gillmore prides himself on being a throwback tight end

In today's game of receiving-first tight ends, former Colorado State tight end Crockett Gillmore is a bit of a throwback.

Having converted from defensive end two years ago, Gillmore plays the position with a lot of power and physicality. He prides himself on being a blocker first as he's developed the ability to be a reliable receiver at times. There's still plenty to work on with his game, such as catching the ball in traffic and working on his timing, but there's also plenty to like.

A strong presence on the end of the line of scrimmage, he should be able to pay dividends down the road in Gary Kubiak's system.

"For me, a tight end is a guy that can play any position on the field; he just happens to be a bigger body," Gillmore told reporters at Baltimore's rookie minicamp this past weekend. "So for me, I think of myself as a blocker with ability to catch the ball. I think championships are still won running the ball and playing defense. So, I'd much rather be considered a blocker that can catch than a receiver that can block."

Gillmore has made many punishing blocks in his collegiate career, including this one:

To a degree, Gillmore is still learning the tight end position at a higher level of play, considering he only spent two seasons on offense at Colorado State.

But there's a ton of potential for the rookie, who'll get a chance to learn behind veterans Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels in his first season.

"Being in this organization, being around these players, it's been a lot of fun getting to know Dennis [Pitta] and Owen [Daniels]," Gillmore said. "So, I'm enjoying it. Football is football; you're going to play, you're going to enjoy it. So, anytime I get to be around these guys, even though I'm new, I feel like it's a good setting, and like I said, we're going to continue to build."