With the 83rd pick (19th in the 3rd Round), the Patriots selected North Carolina wide receiver Brandon Tate.
Tate is a first round talent. He has the skill and athleticism to be one heck of an NFL wide receiver. He might be the best kick returner in the draft.
So why did he drop to the 19th pick in the third round? Because he has issues.
Tate was one of two receivers (Percy Harvin being the other) who tested positive for a banned substance at the NFL Combine. He also comes with injury concerns, as a bum knee prevented him from working out at the Combine and will likely cost him his 2009 season (multiple torn ligaments).
That said, as you’ll see from the video posted by our friends at NEPatriotsDraft.com, he’s one heck of a talent. Assuming the Patriots’ strong locker room can keep him in line, this might end up being a tremendous third round pick.
Fascinating.
When you have a ton of picks and you don’t like anyone in the draft, this is the type of gamble good teams can make.
NFL Draft Weekend Coverage:
- Patriots start off day 2 of the draft with another trade
- New England Patriots 2009 NFL Draft: Video highlights of Chung, Brace, Butler, and Vollmer
- New England Patriots 2009 NFL Draft: Day One Recap and Analysis
- Patriots draft Houston offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer with 58th pick
- Patriots trade up in 2nd round, draft DL Ron Brace and CB Darius Butler
- New England Patriots select Oregon safety Patrick Chung with pick #34
- Patriots make another trade, move out of the first round
- Patriots trade 23rd overall pick to Ravens, move back to 26th
- AFC East NFL Draft Update: Buffalo Bills select Aaron Maybin with the 11th overall pick
- New York Jets trade up to 5th pick, select Mark Sanchez
- New England Patriots 2009 NFL Draft: Last second thoughts and analysis
- New England Patriots targeting WR Michael Crabtree?
- Patriots to use Twitter to keep fans informed during the draft
Follow the Patriots Examiner throughout draft day on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PatsExamimer
Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.
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