If Rob Gronkowski returns to the New England Patriots at some point this season, add ESPN's fantasy football draft to the trail of bread crumbs.

The four-letter network held its annual "War Room" draft Wednesday night featuring 16 analysts and insiders. Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi was among them ... and guess who he selected at No. 225 overall?

Most intriguing pick from the 16-team ESPN War Room league Wednesday night: In round 15, with the 225th overall selection, @TedyBruschi takes....Rob Gronkowski. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2019

In a vacuum, this is a reasonable enough pick: Gronkowski was an elite fantasy tight end, so why not take a late-round flier on the retired star on the off-chance he stages a mid-season comeback?

But that's not why we're here. We're here because a former Patriots player with close ties to the organization put his stock in a supposedly retired Patriots star returning to action -- and raised some eyebrows by doing so.

Inside info 👀 — ConCon (@concon_d0) September 5, 2019

Everyone, including you, knows he's coming back. Week 6. Stop being disingenuous and bookmark this. — Chris Gifford (@cgifford300) September 5, 2019

That's collusion he know something pic.twitter.com/QXksUWjcl6 — Blake (@Maverick1zero) September 5, 2019

Bruschi could just be in a pot-stirring mood, and maybe he'll subsequently drop Gronkowski to add another player.

Or maybe the ex-linebacker -- like many other former players -- has a hunch that Gronk will rediscover the passion for football that injuries sapped and get roped back into catching passes from Tom Brady.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.

What does Tedy Bruschi know? Ex-Patriot adds Rob Gronkowski in fantasy draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston