cowboyjoe
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Scouting Report: North Carolina's Brandon Tate
E-MAIL PRINT COMMENTS 1 WATCH THIS TOPIC Posted: April 14, 2009
NFL position: WR
Height: 5-11 7⁄8
Weight: 183
40 time: 4.60
Current projection: Second-round pick
NFL comparison: Terrell Owens, Cowboys
Hands: Has big hands and is able to catch nearly every ball thrown his way. Stays focused on the ball when running routes into traffic. Plucks the high ball with no trouble. Takes the hard hit and holds on to the ball. Makes tough catches with defense swarming around him. Is able to twist his body to catch passes thrown behind him without having to slow down. Is able to get down to catch low passes with surprising ease. Grade: 8.5
Patterns: Uses his size to shield the defender and his hands to push off and create space. Is a little upright running routes, and lacks explosiveness out of cuts to separate from cornerbacks. Gets good body position on deep routes, and can shield the defender from the ball. Does well running quick, aggressive slant routes into traffic. Grade: 6.0
Run after catch: Gets started upfield quickly after the catch, accelerates to full speed and has a quick burst through cracks to make big plays. Is a strong and aggressive runner, breaking tackles to gain yards after contact. Has the wiggle to make tacklers miss. Left school as the ACC's all-time leader in total return yards. Grade: 8.5
Release: Lacks explosiveness off the snap into his route, but once moving accelerates to full speed quickly, closing the cushion on the cornerback. Has the size and agility to defeat jams by powering through them or beating them with quickness. Grade: 6.5
Blocking: Uses size and strength to eliminate his man from the play. Can dominate his man when aggressive. Grade: 8.0
Bottom line: Going into the '08 season, Tate was viewed primarily as a return man but stepped up early in the year to emerge as an NFL-caliber receiver. Unfortunately, he played in only six games before injuring his knee and underwent surgery to repair his right MCL and ACL. Tate must prove his knee is healthy and convince teams he can return to his pre-injury form to remain a high draft pick. He has the tools to rebound from his injury and become a productive big-play receiver and return man in the NFL.
For more than 450 player scouting reports from Lande and his team of former NFL scouts -- plus updated Mock Draft, Super 99 rankings and more -- go to warroom.sportingnews.com.
E-MAIL PRINT COMMENTS 1 WATCH THIS TOPIC Posted: April 14, 2009
NFL position: WR
Height: 5-11 7⁄8
Weight: 183
40 time: 4.60
Current projection: Second-round pick
NFL comparison: Terrell Owens, Cowboys
Hands: Has big hands and is able to catch nearly every ball thrown his way. Stays focused on the ball when running routes into traffic. Plucks the high ball with no trouble. Takes the hard hit and holds on to the ball. Makes tough catches with defense swarming around him. Is able to twist his body to catch passes thrown behind him without having to slow down. Is able to get down to catch low passes with surprising ease. Grade: 8.5
Patterns: Uses his size to shield the defender and his hands to push off and create space. Is a little upright running routes, and lacks explosiveness out of cuts to separate from cornerbacks. Gets good body position on deep routes, and can shield the defender from the ball. Does well running quick, aggressive slant routes into traffic. Grade: 6.0
Run after catch: Gets started upfield quickly after the catch, accelerates to full speed and has a quick burst through cracks to make big plays. Is a strong and aggressive runner, breaking tackles to gain yards after contact. Has the wiggle to make tacklers miss. Left school as the ACC's all-time leader in total return yards. Grade: 8.5
Release: Lacks explosiveness off the snap into his route, but once moving accelerates to full speed quickly, closing the cushion on the cornerback. Has the size and agility to defeat jams by powering through them or beating them with quickness. Grade: 6.5
Blocking: Uses size and strength to eliminate his man from the play. Can dominate his man when aggressive. Grade: 8.0
Bottom line: Going into the '08 season, Tate was viewed primarily as a return man but stepped up early in the year to emerge as an NFL-caliber receiver. Unfortunately, he played in only six games before injuring his knee and underwent surgery to repair his right MCL and ACL. Tate must prove his knee is healthy and convince teams he can return to his pre-injury form to remain a high draft pick. He has the tools to rebound from his injury and become a productive big-play receiver and return man in the NFL.
For more than 450 player scouting reports from Lande and his team of former NFL scouts -- plus updated Mock Draft, Super 99 rankings and more -- go to warroom.sportingnews.com.
