WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story.
The new FX seriesAmerican Sports Storyportrays Aaron Hernandez’s behind-the-scenes experience during the 2010 NFL Draft. Josh Rivera leads theAmerican Sports StorycastasAaron Hernandez, the former collegiate and NFL superstar tight endwho was convicted ofmurdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloydin 2015. Thefirst two episodes ofAmerican Sports Storycapture a basic understanding of Aaron Hernandez’s complicated upbringing, tumultuous family life, and accelerated path to becoming a Florida Gator before joining the NFL’s New England Patriots in 2010.American Sports Storyepisode 3chronicles Hernandez’s celebrity status and religious considerations at the University of Florida.
American Sports Storyepisode 4"Birthday Money" depicts more of the details of Hernandez’s transition from being the 2010John Mackey Award winnerto having his draft stock plummet ahead of the NFL Draft due to off-the-field concerns. Even thoughHernandez was talented enough to become a first-round draft pick, he was ultimately selected in the fourth round by the New England Patriots, who had one of the most tried and tested disciplinary structures in the entire NFL. Episode 4 also introduces Hernandez’s longtime agent, Brian Murphy, the CEO of the prestigious Athletes First management company who helped Hernandez prepare for the NFL.
Murphy, who is portrayed by Thomas Sadoski inAmerican Sports Story, guides Hernandez as he transitions from being the best collegiate tight end in the country to facing the harsh realities of life in the NFL. As part of his NFL scouting process at the 2010 NFL Combine,Hernandez took the Wonderlic testand notably scored lower than the average among other tight ends. As portrayed in the series,Hernandez scored a 1 out of 10 in the Social Maturity category of the SIGMA Motivation test, which was a red flag for many NFL teams as well. Ultimately, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots decided to give him a shot with the 113th overall pick,signing Hernandez to a rookie dealin 2010.
5Jermaine Gresham
21st overall pick
Jermaine Gresham was the only tight end selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 21st overall pick. He signed a 5-year, $14,095,000 rookie contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he would play for five seasons from 2010 to 2014 (viaSpotrac). In July 2015, Gresham agreed on a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals which reunited him with former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer.Gresham would remain on the Cardinals for the rest of his NFL career, retiring in 2019 after being released from the team. His NFL career stats include 377 receptions for 3,752 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.
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Gresham played three collegiate seasons for the University of Oklahoma Soonersfrom 2006 to 2008. He finished his senior year with a total of 66 receptions for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns. Although Gresham never appeared in a Super Bowl, he was named a Pro Bowler in 2011 and 2012. Gresham was also an outstanding basketball player before he tore his ACL and committed to the University of Oklahoma to play football. Gresham’s best statistical season was in 2012 in which he caught 64 receptions for 737 receiving yards. Ultimately, Gresham has a solid NFL career although it wasn’t necessarily outstanding.
4Rob Gronkowski
42nd overall pick
Aaron Hernandez’s teammate and fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski was selected by the Patriots as the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. As a second-round pick,Gronkowski received a more sizable rookie deal than Hernandez did. Gronkowski signed a 4-year contract worth $4,440,000which included a $1,760,000 signing bonus. $2,530,000 of the contract was guaranteed and Gronkowski would receive an average annual salary of $1,110,000 (viaSpotrac). Gronkowski is considered one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history and one of the best New England Patriots players of all time.
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Gronkowski, a 4-time Super Bowl champion, played the majority of his career with the New England Patriots before retiring in 2018. He came out of retirement and joined Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 to win his fourth Super Bowl championship.He is one of the most decorated tight ends in NFL historyand is poised to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2027. He holds two NFL records: most total touchdowns in a season by a tight end (18) and most receiving touchdowns in a season by a tight end (17). Gronkowski has also worked as an NFL analyst and businessman in his retirement.
Rob Gronkowski spoke on the Aaron Hernandez situation in 2021, saying he “was definitely shook” by the news. He added, “Because, being his teammate and everything—you really don’t see that. You’re not really looking into players like that…that’s who they are, or that’s what they’re doing” (viaBleacher Report). During the Patriots' postseason run to the Super Bowl in 2012, Gronkowski and Hernandez were both the top receivers on the team. Gronkowski had 17 receptions for 256 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns during that playoff stretch, while Hernandez had 19 receptions for 188 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
3Ed Dickson
70th overall pick
Ed Dickson was selected with the 70th overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Dickson signed a 3-year, $1.88 million rookie contract with the Ravens which gave him an average annual salary of $625,833 (viaSpotrac). Dickson played for the Ravens between 2010 and 2013 before joining the Carolina Panthers between 2014 and 2017 and the Seattle Seahawks from 2018 to 2019.Dickson’s total NFL stats include 190 receptions, 2,128 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns. Dickson’s 3-year contract with the Seahawks was worth as much as $14 million but injuries forced him to retire in 2022 after being released in 2020.
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Dickson was one of the best collegiate tight ends at the start of the 2009 NFL season and was selected for the John Mackey Award watchlist, which ultimately went to Hernandez. When Dickson first enrolled at the University of Oregon, he played most of his freshman-year games as a defensive lineman before transitioning to the tight end position. He was a notable tight end and one of the best in the Pac-10 during the 2009 season and was selected for the First-team all-Pac-10.The Ravens also selected tight end Dennis Pitta in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, who was taken immediately after the Patriots took Hernandez with the 113th overall pick.
2Tony Moeaki
93rd overall pick
Tony Moeaki signed a 4-year, $3.27 million rookie contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including $686,650 guaranteed, which gave him an average annual salary of $817,413 (viaSpotrac). He was drafted with the 93rd overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played for the Chiefs between 2010 and 2013 beforeplaying for four separate NFL teams between 2013 and 2016, including the Buffalo Bills (2013), the Seattle Seahawks (2014), the Atlanta Falcons (2015), and the Chicago Bears (2016). Moeaki’s NFL totals include 91 receptions for 1,201 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns.
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Moeaki played for the University of Iowa from 2005 to 2009 where he emerged as one of the nation’s most talented collegiate tight ends.He was forced to miss the entire 2011 NFL season after suffering an injuryin a preseason game. During his two playing seasons with the Chiefs, Moeaki recorded 47 targets for 553 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 2010 and 56 targets for 453 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. During his brief stint with the Buffalo Bills, Moeaki was only able to play in 2 games before he was released. Moeaki was cut by the Chicago Bears at the end of training camp in 2016 and retired afterward.
1Jimmy Graham
95th overall pick
Jimmy Graham is one of the best tight ends in NFL history. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints with the 95th overall pick late in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Graham signed a 4-year, $2.46 million rookie contract with the Saints for an average annual salary of $613,785 before receiving a franchise tag from the Saints in 2014 that earned him an annual salary of $10 million over 4 years (viaSpotrac). He went on to sign a 3-year, $30 million contract with the Green Bay Packers from 2018 to 2020 and signed a 2-year, $16 million contract with the Chicago Bears from 2020 to 2021.His total NFL career earnings are $82.9 million.
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Graham is a 5-time Pro Bowler who led the entire NFL in receiving touchdowns in the 2013 season. His NFL career totals include 719 receptions for 8,545 receiving yards and 89 touchdowns.He returned to the New Orleans Saints during the 2023 seasonand played 13 games, scoring 4 touchdowns on just 6 receptions. He was a standout tight end at the University of Miami from 2005 to 2009. He has set many team records for receptions and receiving yards at the tight end position. Unlike Aaron Hernandez inAmerican Sports Story, Graham never played in a Super Bowl, although he is considered one of the best of all time at the tight end position.
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American Sports Story
Cast
American Sports Story is a TV show from Stu Zicherman and executive produced by Ryan Murphy. The series stars Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez and Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow. The sports anthology series serves as the fourth installment in Murphy’s “American Story” franchise.
