Auden Tate: Problematic 40 time

Tate (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds at the NFL Combine on Saturday.

Tate's selling point was never his speed, but a 40 time barely better than a 4.7 raises the concern about whether he might be too slow to even serve as a red-zone specialist. Tate found the end zone with relative ease at Florida State and certainly has the necessary size to do so at the NFL level -- his 33 and 3/4-inch arms provide a big wingspan on his already tall frame -- and that he just turned 21 in February leaves open the possibility that he might not be done developing physically. With fellow big body receivers like Courtland Sutton, Allen Lazard and Jaleel Scott making better showings at the combine, though, Tate won't lack for competition in his particular corner of the market. We'd guess he won't go sooner than the fourth, and a tumble deep into the third day is possible barring an improved showing at his pro day.