NFL Draft profile: Auden Tate WR, FSU
The Baltimore Ravens must address the wide receiver position in the 2018 NFL Draft. Auden Tate may be worthy of their 1st round pick:
Auden Tate is a big bodied wide receiver, who can go up and get the football. Just about every one of his 16 touchdowns for the Florida State Seminoles was a display of his acrobatic ability. The Baltimore Ravens have never had a receiver like Tate. Anquan Boldin was a physical wide receiver, but he was 6’1″. Auden Tate is a 6’5″ red zone scoring machine. In terms of toughness, Tate plays a lot like Boldin. In terms of raw, physical attributes, Tate is unmatched.
Tate doesn’t have the eye popping reception totals that you’d want to see from a 1st round prospect. He was with FSU for three seasons and he didn’t get on the stat sheet until his second year. Tate caught 25 passes in his sophomore season for 409 yards and six touchdowns. This past season, Tate had 40 grabs for 548 yards and 10 touchdowns. One has to wonder how big of a difference quarterback play made in 2017 for Tate. FSU’s starting quarterback went down for the year, in the opening game against Alabama.
Tate’s numbers suggest that he has big play capability. The important stats are the high touchdown totals and the 14.7 yards per reception he picked up in his collegiate career. When it comes to the eye test, Tate passes with flying colors. He put on an absolute show in FSU’s bowl game against Southern Miss. In the contest he had five receptions for 84 yards and three touchdowns. In that game you saw how his size made covering him next to impossible for smaller defensive backs.
Strengths:
- Big and thick frame
- Always open over his head
- Best receiver in this draft class when it comes to back shoulder throws
- Great red zone threat
- Big play capability
Concerns:
- Not a speed demon, does most of his work in traffic
- Has an occasional drop, could have softer hands
- Less production than other top draft prospects
Why the Ravens should target him:
This is the type of receiver that Joe Flacco needs. Accuracy isn’t the biggest deal in the world when you have a receiver with the catch radius of Tate. Tate would give the Ravens a big play receiver. He’s a guy who can make the tough plays over the middle of the field, and in the red zone. Tate is a huge target who brings down long passes with relative ease. Tate is fun to watch. He could be exactly what the Ravens need.
Next: Ravens 2017 season by the numbers
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