Especially because Tate would enter the League as a 2, or even a 3… So he can get acclimated to the game before needing to go against the elite corners. Hell, there’s no reason he and Terry can’t take some slot reps.
He’s not my highest priority, if I’m being honest. But in a world where we get a FA back (Jones, Hall, Walker, etc.) and say Michael Pittman and Trey Hendrickson…
Getting Tate would be an outstanding selection for us. Even at 7.
A player’s value is where he can be potentially drafted. And I think, while admitting this class is a bit weaker, Tate is going to be drafted between 5-12.
If Smith and Marsh and Coleman were around would I feel that way? Probably not. But they aren’t. And I’m more comfortable with Tate to help Jayden in the scenario I laid out than I am Jordyn Tyson to stay healthy enough to help him or Makai Lemon to not go bobble head Bond villain.
I've spent more time on the WRs in this draft so far than any spot. And I've been thinking about what spots I've gotten right more and wrong, too over the years and why. i got some praise by some for my work dissecting TE and its cool that some remember. But I've been at my best at WR. My worst lol is Edge. So that's part of the reason why I am reluctant to come in hard on an edge when i am on the fence.
I've been better at offense than defense, especially WR and RB. With defense I've been good at safety except lol a big miss with the Seattle safety. LB mostly good. Edge -- I've had some hits but some big swings and misses. Ditto at CB.
But I was thinking where i've gone right or wrong at those spots -- as to WR, I've learned to appreciate ball tracking, body control, and soft hands more over the years. Those skills tend to track to the NFL. Lets take J. Lane, i watched a lot of his college tape, fast dude, potential to be a deep threat but you didn't see a lot of that at Virginia Tech. He was more of a screens-hitches, quick slants and go. i could extrapolate that he would be a deep threat because he made a few nice plays down the field and is fast, but you didn't see a heck of a lot of that.
I was a big Devonte Smith guy. And Tate reminds me of him in this sense. You throw the ball down field and somehow he just comes up with the ball. And it looks so effortless. you could see that with Pickens, too. I watch like you do a ton of receivers and that skill isn't a dime a dozen.
Bringing this to other players, you also don't see a ton of players who just do it all. Guys like Bernard aren't sexy watches. It isn't highlight plays. But the dude just gets open so seamlessly on the first and 2nd level and has soft hands, blocks, can run with the ball in his hands, is physical at the catch point on and on. You compare that for example to Lane, its night and day as to his floor IMO and being able in my mind to hit the ground running. And look i like Lane but you can see watching him he's raw in the context of succeeding in the NFL right away.
Give me a long armed, big handed WR who doesn't drop the ball, makes hard catches look easy, has really good body control, high points the ball well, good blocker, and can track the deep ball -- that to me adds to a high floor WR. Also workaholic-high intangibles player. Superstar? I don't know. But you don't have these obvious super stars in this draft, its not an exclusive WR drill.
If someone wants to hit Tate, I can care less about name that narrative. The reasons why he IMO isn't elite: tough to tell how well he would do with physical corners as to his releases, meh as to YAC, not much of a force on the first level, doesn't have elite traits -- not elite size or speed.
As far as Tyson goes, I like him. I don't buy a healthy version of him is the best WR in this draft, but I do think its close. But its somewhat about what flavor you like. He seperates so well on the first and 2nd level, sort of a poor man's Beckham as to double moves and wiggle in open field to get open. Why he's not elite IMO: for a dude that majors so much with underneath catches, you'd want YAC and that's not his thing, not a proven deep threat -- some questions about his past, not just injuries, but where he wasn't the same player and talked about how he wanted to play video games all day, stuff like that.
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