Overview

Position: WR

College: Ohio State

Class: Junior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’2 1/4”

Weight: 192 lbs.

Arm length: 31 3/4″

Hand size: 10 1/4″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.53 sec.

10-yard split: 1.61 sec.

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Prototype frame. Impressive length and catch radius. Extremely smooth and glides as a downfield route runner. Very fluid body movements to use deception on vertical routes. Gets on top of defenders and crosses them up on vertical routes. Great stutter-step move to get defenders on their heels. Accelerates smoothly when winning with an outside release to get vertical. Sets up defenders on deep post routes. Very deceptive sinking his hips on more complex double moves. Great hands and overall catch focus. Phenomenal tracking ability on downfield passes. Terrific body control and catch focus to play the ball down the field. Excellent leaping ability. Exceptional at high-pointing the ball in the air. Will sky for downfield passes between defenders. Shields off defenders on 50-50 balls. Strong hands to hold onto throws through contact on jump balls. Deceptive release on fade routes. Will turn his body late to bring in back-shoulder passes. Glides into in-breaking route cuts. Comfortable making a body catch when passes get to his frame. Strong hands to hold onto underneath passes when hit at the at the catch point. Crisp breaking down on stop routes. Excellent smoothness on comeback routes. Will press cornerbacks vertically and sink his hips to throttle down. Extremely strong hands working back to the ball along the boundary. Easily extends for a grab while getting his feet down. Can get vertical from the slot. Gets on top of safeties before making a move downfield between the numbers. Works to open spaces on broken plays. Physical with a wide base as a blocker. High effort and physicality blocking around the line of scrimmage. Used to pin down defenders blocking on the edge. Very accurate with impressive impact on motion blocks. Good hustle shown on early interception versus Indiana (2025).

 

Weaknesses

Below-average acceleration off the ball. Struggles to get off press jams. Can get rerouted by contact. Limited tackle-breaking ability after the catch. Average speed and lacks on-the-ground twitch with the ball in his hands.

 

NFL comparison

Rome Odunze

 

Conclusion

Overall, Tate is a well-rounded vertical threat who knows how to win as a downfield route runner and with the ball in the air. Not being as dynamic with the ball in his hands arguably puts him a tier below others, but Tate can be a dangerous X receiver for an NFL passing attack.

 

Big Board ranking: #21 | Positional ranking: #5