Auden Tate – Florida State
WR 6’4″ 225 lbs
Tall, physical receivers leave an evaluator prone to wild dream sequences about Calvin Johnson-type production. I generally try to avoid getting caught up in too much projection, but the 6’4″ Auden Tate is straight out of central-casting.
Out of all the incoming receivers I’ve watched, Auden Tate has the best hands. Period. Full stop. He is very smooth, catching the ball away from his body softly but with tremendous strength. His high point ability is unparalleled, both because of his height and his ability to time his leap to perfection. Because of this, Tate is particularly effective on the sideline and in the endzone. He makes tremendous adjustments to the ball and even tracks well enough to make over-the-shoulder catches on deep routes. Tate is also not afraid to stick his nose in it, often making blocks to spring his running back for extra yards. Although not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Tate, he can also create separation fairly well on a slant with a hard-plant to put the defender on his hip.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Auden Tate, however. Even as big as he is, Tate tends to get out-muscled by smaller defenders; not a trait you’re looking for in a number one target. He also struggles with concentration drops in stretches and sometimes lets the ball travel in on his body, creating double catches or bat-downs.
All totaled, Auden Tate appears to me to have the highest ceiling in this class. I am anxiously awaiting his combine and landing spot to see just how big we can dream.
