FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The play of Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham in 2011 sparked a heated debate as to which player was the best tight end in all of football.

The pair recorded astonishing production in 2011, and Gronkowski already has been rewarded with a new contract extension, just two years into his rookie deal.

The debate won’t soon be settled, but Saints veteran safety Roman Harper chimed in with his thoughts on the two, which actually expanded to a third player, fellow Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.

“It's two totally different animals. I hate to call them animals, but it is what it is," Harper said, laughing.

"You should talk about all three of them, let's be honest here. Hernandez is a good one too.

“So Hernandez has the most shake, the most wiggle at the tops of the routes, he's getting open. He will break a guy off on one-on-one coverage, no doubt.

“I think Jimmy is just more of a strider, he's going to be faster than Gronk, but he's more of a strider and he comes out of the break and he's just like, 'Drew throw it up. It's more of a rebound, I'm going to get it.' So he's going to be more athletic.

"Then you've got Gronk, who is just a big guy and he's a big target ... a little body action, and of course Tom [Brady] was putting it right on him. Gronk makes his money after the catch. If you look at him, that's where he makes all of his money. So they are three totally different beasts, but all great players."