Tate was just starting to come into his own as a wide receiver in 2008 when he suffered two torn ligaments in his right knee vs. Notre Dame, missing the final seven contests of his career. Before being sidelined, he established an NCAA combined kick return yardage record (3,523 yards) and was 304 yards shy of the NCAA record for kickoff return yardage set by Jeff Liggon of Tulane (2,992 yards, 1993-96), as the Tar Heel generated 2,688 yards.

Tate needed just 165 punt return yards to become the 11th player in NCAA history

with 1,000 yards on both kickoff and punt returns (835 punt return yards). The Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time kick returner holds the school single-season and career records for kicks returned for touchdowns (three in 2006, six for his career). He is one of only nine players in NCAA history to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same game (Duke, 2006).

At Cummings High school, Tate earned All-Area honors from the Burlington Times-News. He was a member of the Greensboro News & Record All-Area team and also earned All-Conference accolades, helping the team to the state finals as a junior and the semifinals as a senior.

In his final campaign, Tate had 66 receptions for 1,213 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 games. He also returned kicks and played defensive back. In 2003, he pulled down 22 catches for 496 yards (22.5 avg) and eight touchdowns. He lettered three times in football, adding three more in basketball. As the team's shooting guard, he led the Cummings High hoops squad to the state title during his junior season.

Tate enrolled at North Carolina in 2005, where he was one of seven true freshmen to letter. He was used strictly on special teams, ranking second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 25.81-yard average on 21 kickoff returns that included one touchdown. He also ranked third in the league with 29 punt returns for 267 yards (9.21 avg), as he led the Tar Heels with 809 all-purpose yards.

As a sophomore, Tate continued to perform mostly on special teams. He did manage to get some action with the offense, catching five passes for 72 yards (14.4 avg) and gaining 20 yards on three carries. He ranked second in the conference with a 9.7-yard average on 20 punt returns that included one touchdown. He also returned 38 kickoffs for 902 yards (23.7 avg) and two scores, as his total of three kicks returned for touchdowns and two scores vs. Duke set school records. His 1,188 all-purpose yards led the squad and ranked sixth in the ACC.

Tate shared flanker duties with Brooks Foster in 2007, but started all 12 games. He piled up 1,765 all-purpose yards, leading the conference with an average of 147.08 yards per game. He tallied 939 yards on 39 kickoff returns (24.08 avg, fourth in the ACC), 216 yards and a score on 23 punt returns (9.39 avg) and 131 yards on 12 carries that included another touchdown. He also placed third on the team with a career-high 25 receptions for 479 yards (19.2 avg) and five touchdowns, earning All-ACC honorable mention.

As a senior, Tate was again named All-ACC honorable mention, as he snatched 16 passes for 376 yards (23.5 avg) and three touchdowns, adding 143 yards and a score on 11 reverses (13.0 avg). He also scored once on seven punt returns, averaging 22.6 yards per attempt while posting 305 yards on 11 kickoff returns (27.7 avg). Despite missing the final seven games, he ranked second on the team with 982 all-purpose yards, and if he had qualified (did not have the minimum touches) his average of 163.67 all-purpose yards per game would have ranked 11th in the nation and lead the ACC.

The injury brought a close to his career, but he was highly regarded by the staff. "The good news is that he will be back, and he will recover from this. I shared with him that two of the best receivers that I ever had the opportunity to be around as a coach both had equally significantly damaging injuries," head coach Butch Davis said, on the injury to Tate, referring to his experiences with former Miami stars Michael Irvin and Reggie Wayne.

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 6.6

Body Structure: Tate has a well developed frame with good quickness and balance. He has the arm length, upper body strength and solid muscle development to defeat the press and a tight midsection and hips. He has tapered thighs and calves, with some room left on his frame for additional growth.

Athletic Ability: Tate shows good quickness and a burst of speed in his play. He is a quick-handed receiver with good body control, change of direction agility and explosion in his run after the catch. He displays very good athletic ability on the field, especially on special teams. An excellent athlete, he has lacks blazing speed, but accelerates nicely with his compact stride, which allows him to generate burst on the move, evident by his success returning kicks for touchdowns. He shows very good balance, hip snap and torso flexibility. GRADE: 7.1

Football Sense: Tate has good learning ability, but still needs some reps to grasp the techniques of playing as a receiver. He adjusts on the run and is developing a good feel for all patterns, but will still run into spot and needs to refine his cuts better. He plays with much better awareness as a returner, following his blocks well. GRADE: 6.1

Character: Tate is very coachable and shows the work ethic that can make teams feel confident that they will get 100 percent effort out of him in whatever job they ask him to perform. GRADE: 6.8

Competitiveness: Tate is a tough competitor who endured a lot of hits in his time as a returner, but outside of his torn knee ligaments he has been fairly durable during his career. He has the playmaking ability that makes opponents account for him any time he is on the field. He flashes aggression as a runner and is very consistent in his approach on the field. GRADE: 6.5

Work Habits: Tate has developed good discipline as he gained maturity. He does whatever the staff asks and then does some extra. He is really delving into all aspects of becoming a better receiver and will constantly look for someone to throw the ball to him. The injury has set back his progress, but doctors say his work ethic is the reason he is well ahead of schedule returning from his knee surgery. If he can perform well during UNC's Pro Day, his draft stock is sure to elevate. GRADE: 7.0

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.43

Release: With his long, lean build, Tate shows good quickness, strength and hand usage to get off the snap and into his patterns. He might lack blazing speed, but compensates with good hip snap, balance and foot work in his route (still needs to execute crisper breaks, though). He has a smooth and fluid release off the line of scrimmage and is able to beat press coverage. He has the power to push through the jam with no hold-ups. He also shows the ability to be elusive at the line and consistently escapes to get into his routes. GRADE: 6.4

Acceleration: Tate has displayed very good vertical acceleration on deep routes. He has enough body control to get open and adjust quickly to the short throws and uncover. He does not have great timed speed, but does show the extra gear needed to get to the ball and run away from the slower defenders. He gets a good push working upfield, and while he does rely more on his athletic ability he is working on running more precise routes. The thing you see on film is his ability to torque his body to get under the pass and adjust to secure over his outside shoulder. GRADE: 6.3

Quickness: Tate has displayed adequate speed, good quickness and balance off the ball and good movement after the start with sudden moves. He gains advantage by building his acceleration to get behind the defender, but would be more explosive out of his cuts if he did a better job of sinking his weight to come out of breaks with better angle. He is not going to shock an opponent and simply fly past his man at the line of scrimmage, but will fool the opponent with his developing head and shoulder fakes (has good body mechanics). GRADE: 6.0

Route Running: For Tate, this is still a work in progress, as he tries to compensate for a lack of experience with his athleticism. He runs adequate routes, showing inconsistent ability to sink his hips, as he is prone to getting upright in his stance, which affects his initial explosiveness. He needs to generate sharper cuts on intermediate routes and run with little gather in and out of his breaks, but is showing improvement. He has the ability to use his frame when shielding defenders and is becoming a nice threat with his aggressive running style, as he has the balance to take the quick slants and turn up field without breaking stride. GRADE: 5.0

Separation Ability: Tate has a decent short-area burst to gain separation after pulling in the slants or screens. He is starting to develop the eyes needed to locate the soft spots in the zone. He sees the ball in flight and shows the body flexibility and vision to look the ball in. He is able to generate better acceleration working in the short-to-intermediate areas. While he has the ability to separate from defenders with his burst, he seems quicker into his cuts rather than out. He needs to do a better job with his hand placement, as his arms drop some just before his break point, but that hitch is easily correctable. GRADE: 6.3

Ball Concentration: Tate shows consistency catching the ball on short and long routes. Even though he's not "track fast," he has the ability to work and get open vs. man coverage, and when changing coverages he knows the situation well. He is patient following blockers on returns and keeps his eyes on the pocket to work back when the pocket is pressured. There seems to be no hesitation when working over the middle and he will extend for the ball in a crowd. GRADE: 6.4

Ball Adjustment: Tate has great torso flexibility. He can adjust to off-target throws or settling down in the zone. He extends and plucks the pass at the high point with good effectiveness. He has shown flashes of being able to adjust to high and low balls well, displaying that superb leaping ability that made him one of the top returners in the country before his knee injury. He has to do a better job of controlling his body to catch, as he only has adequate drift. GRADE: 6.5

Leaping Ability: Tate has shown good leaping ability for short and long balls, timing his leaps to get to the ball at its high point. He has no problems contorting his body to get to the low throws and shows no hesitation going vertical or diving for the ball. GRADE: 6.5

Hands: Tate displays above average hands. He is not really a body catcher, but will use his frame at times to absorb the ball (leads to a few drops of easy throws). He has the ability to extend with his hands, but will still trap the ball some. On returns, he shows very good hand/eye coordination with placement. He likes to compete for jump balls, especially when he knows he will have to attack it with defenders draped all over him. He has the scoop and reach ability to make the shoestring grab and has only fumbled once on 188 returns, proving he has valid ball security skills. GRADE: 8.0

Run After the Catch: Tate's leg drive allows him to get a good push off the line, but he needs to stay low in his pads to generate enough explosiveness. As he has proven on punt and kickoff returns, he can be dangerous running upfield, using his very good vision while also showing patience waiting for blocks to develop. He will sometimes generate explosion after the catch, but this could be even better if he tries to sink his pads better rather than running too upright. With his leg strength, he has little difficulty breaking tackles and is starting to develop good hip wiggle and head and shoulder fakes to con the defender and sell the route. GRADE: 7.2

Blocking Ability: Tate's experience on special teams came in handy when generating blocking skills as a receiver. He is aggressive stalking second-level defenders and works hard to impact the opponent along the edge to spring the ballcarrier for positive yardage. He shows no reluctance to face up, and with added bulk he could handle the physicality of blocking at the line in the NFL. When supporting the run, he positions and pesters with good effort and execution. GRADE: 6.1

Special Teams: If his knee fully recovers, Tate has the ability to rank with the elite combo kick returners in the league. He shows patience, vision and aggressive running style with the power to break tackles on the move. With six touchdowns to his credit and the NCAA combined kick yardage record (3,523), he brings great added value to his resume. GRADE: 8.7

Compares To: JOSH CRIBBS, Cleveland -- Like Cribbs, Tate is still a work in progress as a receiver, but with his size and acceleration he can slowly develop as a slot receiver or capable reserve his first few years. If he is fully recovered from knee woes, what he brings to the table for any team drafting him is an excellent returner who can handle both duties with flare. Because of his surgery, he might be taken in a fire sale later in the draft, but if the medical reports are good that team will get great value in that draft choice.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.47

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Tate started 18 of 41 games at North Carolina, gaining 4,744 all-purpose yards that included 927 yards and eight touchdowns on 46 receptions (20.15 avg), 294 yards and two scores on 26 carries (11.31 avg), 835 yards with three touchdowns on 79 punt returns (10.57 avg) and 2,688 yards with three more scores on 109 kickoff returns (24.66 avg) … His 3,523 yards in total kick returns (punts and kickoffs) set the NCAA all-time record, breaking the previous mark of 3,455 yards by Deltha O'Neal of California (1,169 on punts, 2,286 on kickoffs, 1996-99) … His 2,688 yards on kickoff returns was 304 yards shy of the NCAA record for kickoff return yardage set by Jeff Liggon of Tulane (2,992 yards, 1993-96) and topped the old Atlantic Coast Conference record of 2,313 yards by Eric Blount of North Carolina (1988-91) … His 835 yards gained on punt returns rank second in school annals behind Greg Poole (916 yards, 1979-82) and placed 13th in conference history … His 4,744 all-purpose yards rank fourth in Tar Heel annals behind Atlantic Coast Conference record holder, Leon Johnson (5,828; 1993-96), Don McCauley (5,014; 1968-70) and Amos Lawrence (4,928; 1977-80) … Holds the two top spots on the school single-season record lists for kickoff returns and yardage (38 for 902 in 2006 and 39 for 939 in 2007) … His 835 yards in punt returns placed second in school history behind Charlie Justice (966 yards, 1946-49) … His combined 188 kicks returned surpassed the previous school career record of 177 by Eric Blount (1988-91) … His two kicks returned for touchdowns vs. Duke in 2006, combined three touchdown returns in 2006 and combined six returns for his career are all school records … Set another Tar Heel record by averaging 49.7 yards on three kickoff returns vs. Utah in 2005 … His 82-yard punt return vs. McNeese State in 2008 is the ninth-longest return in school history … His 206 yards gained on kickoff returns vs. Duke in 2006 is another UNC single-game record … His 97-yard kickoff return vs. Duke in 2006 was the third-longest run back in school history, topped by Tyrell Godwin (100 vs. Stanford, 1998) and Delbert Powell (98 vs. Wake Forest, 1976) … Set the school single-game record with 397 all-purpose yards vs. McNeese State in 2008, the second-best game total in ACC history behind the 411 yards gained by John Leach of Wake Forest vs. Maryland in 1993.

Tate was emerging as one of the elite multi-purpose performers in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but in the Notre Dame game, he tore the anterior and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee, missing the final seven games to undergoing October surgery … He would have led the ACC and ranked eleventh in the nation, as he was averaging 163.67 all-purpose yards before being shut down … Totaled 305 yards on eleven kickoff returns (27.7 avg) and 158 yards with a score on seven punt returns (22.6 avg) … Rushed eleven times for 143 yards (13.0 avg), including one touchdown … Despite missing more than half the season, he ranked third on the team with sixteen receptions for 376 yards (23.5 avg) and three touchdowns while starting the first six games at flanker.

McNeese State … Tate put on a dazzling one-man show, scoring on an 82-yard punt return and putting North Carolina ahead for good with a 57-yard catch to help the Tar Heels hold off McNeese State 35-27 … Tate finished with a school-record 397 all-purpose yards for the Tar Heels, who showed little else in an unimpressive start to their second season under Butch Davis … In a game suspended nearly two hours due to weather, they blew a 14-0 first-half lead and had to rally from a third-quarter deficit against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent that outplayed them much of the way … North Carolina had to rely almost solely on Tate's ability to weave through oncoming defenders or break free from the clutches of would-be tacklers on this night … The senior started with a 56-yard return on the opening kickoff and had a 54-yard run that helped set up the Tar Heels' second touchdown … Also had a 38-yard punt return in the first quarter, finishing with 106 yards on three carries, 93 yards on four receptions, 142 yards on three punt returns and 56 yards on a kickoff return … Record Watch-Tate's 397 yards set a school game record and placed second on the ACC chart behind John Leach of Wake Forest (411 vs. Maryland in 1993).

Rutgers … Tate generated 138 yards with a touchdown on four catches, 19 yards on two carries, 58 yards on two kickoff returns and 4 yards on a punt return to amass 219 all-purpose yards … QB T.J. Yates found a wide-open Tate and connected with him on a 69-yard scoring play, as the speedster also scored on a 12-yard end around. On his scoring grab, the flanker ran by corner-back Jason McCourty and Yates lofted a pass down the right sideline for the 69-yard catch and run … North Carolina blew the game open in the third quarter as Tate scored on the end around, en route to a 44-12 victory.

Virginia Tech … Tate scored for the third consecutive game, collecting 66 yards on three catches with a touchdown, as he rushed twice for 16 yards and returned four kickoffs for 104 yards … He snatched a 30-yard pass from T.J. Yates along the sidelines and then capped that 5-play, 68-yard series with a 32-yard touchdown on a third-&-6 second quarter toss.

Miami … The Hurricanes finally kept Tate out of the end zone, as the flanker caught three passes for 62 yards and returned three kickoffs for 67 yards … His third-&-10 catch for 37 yards that was downed at the Miami 11 set up a 2-yard scoring run by tailback Ryan Houston … He added 14 and 11-yard receptions in the fourth quarter to set up T.J. Yates' 14-yard touchdown pass to Brooks Foster.

Connecticut … Tate made two catches for 17 yards, ran twice for 7 yards, returned an 8-yard punt and had a 20-yard kickoff return … His third-&-3 17-yard catch set up a UNC 31-yard field goal in the first quarter.

Notre Dame … The Tar Heels went most of the way without big-play receiver and returner Brandon Tate, who sprained his right knee in the first quarter, suffering the injury on a 9-yard punt return … It was later revealed that Tate had torn two ligaments in his knee, undergoing surgery in October that doctors say will sideline him until the team's Pro Day in mid-March … He was leading the ACC with five total touchdowns at the time of his injury.

Tate earned All-Atlantic Coast honorable mention … Started all twelve games at flanker, even though he shared those duties with Brooks Foster … Ranked third on the team with 25 receptions for 479 yards (19.2 avg) and five touchdowns … Rushed twelve times for 131 yards (10.9 avg) and a score … Ranked sixth in the ACC with 23 punt returns for 216 yards (9.4 avg) and a touchdown … Placed fourth in the league with a school single-season record 939 yards on 39 kickoff returns (24.1 avg) … Recorded one solo tackle vs. Maryland … Led the conference with 1,765 all-purpose yards, ranking 28th nationally with an average of 147.08 yards per game … Needed just three seasons to set ACC career records for kickoff return yards (2,383) and returns (98).

James Madison … Tate opened the season with a 28-yard scoring grab among his two catches for 74 yards.

East Carolina … The flanker amassed 263 all-purpose yards, pulling down three passes for 102 yards and a pair of scores … Added 100 yards on three kickoff returns and had three punt returns for 61 yards, including a 58-yard score … That marked his fifth kick that he returned for a touchdown, tying the school record he shares with Charlie Justice.

South Florida … Tate managed just one catch for 6 yards and had an 11-yard punt return, but made his most noise with 160 yards on six kickoff returns.

Miami … The junior receiver totaled 223 yards, as Tate delivered two carries for 64 yards, including a 54-yard score, 54 yards on three catches, 7 yards on a punt return and 98 yards on four kickoff returns.

Wake Forest … After missing the second half of the previous game vs. South Carolina due to a concussion, Tate ran three times for 18 yards, snatched three passes for 31 yards and returned seven kickoffs for 162 yards.

North Carolina State … Tate had a 50-yard touchdown catch to go with 68 yards on a pair of receptions and returned four kickoffs for 97 yards.

Duke … The team's jack of all-trades made two catches for 18 yards, including a 9-yard score in a 20-14 victory, adding 32 yards on a reverse, 23 yards on a kickoff return and 21 yards on two punt returns in the season finale.

Tate was named All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention … The reserve receiver became the ninth player in NCAA history to return a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the same game (Duke) … Ranked second in the ACC with 20 punts for 194 yards (9.7 avg) and a touchdown … Placed sixth in the league with 38 kickoff returns for 902 yards (23.7 avg) and two scores … His 902 yards rank second on the school single-season record list behind his 2007 total of 939 … Caught five passes for 72 yards (14.4 avg) and gained 20 yards on three carries (6.7 avg) in brief action on special teams … Recorded one solo tackle vs. Rutgers and ranked sixth in the ACC while leading the team with 1,188 all-purpose yards, an average of 99.0 yards per game.

Returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining in the first half of Carolina's 45-44 victory at Duke, as the 97-yarder equaled the third-longest in school history … Also returned a 54-yard punt for a touchdown in the Duke win, joining Charlie Justice (vs. Florida in 1946) and Eric Blount (vs. William & Mary in 1991) as the only Carolina players to ever return a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same game … His 54-yard punt return for a score was Carolina's first punt return (other than a blocked kick) for a touchdown since Michael Waddell had an 89-yarder at Oklahoma in 2001..Finished the game with five punt returns for 69 yards and four kickoff returns for 139 yards … Had 38 yards on two receptions vs. North Carolina State, as he also returned one kickoff for 31 yards and two punts for 16 yards vs. the Wolfpack … Added two punt returns for 16 yards and two kickoff returns for 51 yards, including a long of 31 vs. Georgia Tech … On a kickoff, he faked a handoff to Quinton Person and then kept the ball for himself and raced 90 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter at Notre Dame, as he also had three kickoff returns for 54 yards, including a long of 21 … Returned three punts for 19 yards, including a long of 12, and three kickoffs for 84 yards, including a season-long 42-yarder, at Virginia … Had five kickoff returns for 85 yards, including a long of 22, and one punt return for two yards vs. South Florida … Returned three kickoffs for 58 yards (long of 30), had four punt returns for 26 yards (long of nine) and caught a four-yard pass at Miami … Produced five kickoff returns for 75 yards, including a long of 23, vs. Clemson, but fumbled one kickoff return vs. the Tigers … Returned two kickoffs for 62 yards, including a long of 34, in the win over Furman, as he also had an 11-yard rush on a reverse play … Snatched two receptions for 30 yards vs. Virginia Tech.

Played in 11 games on special teams, as he was one of seven true freshmen to letter …

Gained 542 yards on 21 kickoff returns, including a 96-yard touchdown vs. Utah … Added 267 yards on 29 punt returns (9.2 avg).

2007: Missed the second half vs. South Carolina (10/13) after suffering a head injury.

2008: Suffered torn anterior and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee vs. Notre Dame (10/11), undergoing surgery that forced him to sit out the final seven games.

Campus: 4.52 in the 40-yard dash … 1.6 10-yard dash … 2.65 20-yard dash … 4.12 20-yard shuttle … 7.25 three-cone drill … 36-inch vertical jump … 9'4" broad jump.

Combine: Did not participate in workouts due to recovery from right ACL surgery.

Attended Cummings (Burlington, N.C.) High School, playing football for head coach Steve Johnson … Earned All-Area honors from the Burlington Times-News … Member of the Greensboro News & Record All-Area team and also earned All-Conference accolades, helping the team to the state finals as a junior and the semifinals as a senior … In his final campaign, Tate had 66 receptions for 1,213 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 games. He also returned kicks and played defensive back … In 2003, he pulled down 22 catches for 496 yards (22.5 avg) and eight touchdowns … Lettered three times in football, adding three more in basketball … As the team's shooting guard, he led the Cummings High hoops squad to the state title during his junior season.

Communications major … Son of Lesley and Barry Tate, Sr. … Born 10/05/87..Resides in Burlington, North Carolina.