The Low Down: Auden Tate

Receiver Auden Tate reckons to be one of the most promising players for Florida State in 2017. Despite only starting in the final five games of the 2016 regular season, Tate displayed skills and physical abilities that fans had not seen since Kelvin Benjamin.

He recorded 25 receptions, 409 yards, and six touchdowns last season, providing a serious red zone threat for quarterback Deondre Francois. How much should observers expect him to improve? We attempt to answer that in “The Low Down”. Check out the previous edition, where we examined cornerback Tarvarus McFadden and his 2016 year.

Again, we do not claim to be professional scouts; these are simply observations that we feel became apparent.

Strengths

Great hands: Once Tate gets his hands on the ball, it’s not getting dropped. The only time he ever drops a catch is if the throw itself was bad or if the defensive back makes a good play. Otherwise, Tate has very reliable hands and provides an excellent target for Francois.

Physical: Everyone knows that Tate is physically imposing at 6-5 and 225 pounds. That’s only one part of the advantage. The second part is knowing how to use it, and it’s clear that Tate understands how to be physical at the position. He fights through coverage and forces cornerbacks into bad spots trying to deter him. This becomes especially apparent against smaller corners, who simply can’t overpower him.

High-pointing the ball: Taller receivers will always be valuable for this ability alone. Tate seems especially adept at grabbing the ball where only he has a real chance at it. Part of this is quarterback Deondre Francois recognizing it as well, but it’s a 2-way street. This is a great tool to have in the red zone, where Tate is nearly unstoppable.

Body control: Some might think this would fit under the “physical” trait. But they are different skills. Basically, Tate is able to position his body in the best angle to make the catch. He doesn’t try to reach back for a pass or hurt his chances at completing the play. He’s able to control his frame and come back for the ball easily.

Weaknesses

Average speed: Tate is actually speedy for his size when he gets downfield. The issue comes with the first steps off the line, where he appears quite a bit slower than his fellow receivers. He generally doesn’t get looked at much in short yardage passing situations because of this. Such a weakness isn’t all that detrimental to a big receiver like Tate, but it does somewhat limit what the offense can do.

Inconsistent blocking: Blocking has been a point of emphasis among Jimbo Fisher-coached offenses, and it applies to the receiver position as well. Don’t block, don’t play. In the case of Auden Tate, he obviously has a ton of potential in this area. He’s so powerful that on some plays he straight up eliminates the cornerback on his side of the field. On others, his form is shaky and the defender is able to get right past him.

Separation issues: Luckily for Tate, he has other natural advantages that mitigate this somewhat. But on most of his plays, he doesn’t have much separation from the defender. Whether it’s his slow first step or other factors, it makes his job harder to do. It will be interesting to see what another offseason of training brings.

Best Performance of 2016

Nov. 11 vs. Boston College: It became glaringly obvious early on that the Eagles’ secondary had no answer for Tate’s size. Francois targeted him often with great success, and it was almost guaranteed that they would try to connect in the red zone. The final result? Six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns. It was by far Tate’s best game of the season, and it put the spotlight on just how high his ceiling is for this Florida State team.

Worst Performance of 2016

Oct. 29 vs. Clemson: This was a harder category to choose because Tate didn’t actually start full-time until the Clemson game. Not surprisingly, it was his worst showing. He didn’t make an impact for much of the night — though he did provoke some crucial pass interference calls that allowed the Seminoles to extend drives. That seems sarcastic, but it really isn’t. Tate was aware of the mismatch and helped exploit it. It simply would’ve been better if he had turned it into receptions.

What to Expect in 2017

The short answer? A reliable starting wide receiver that has a chance at making the All-ACC team.

No one would deny that few players had a better end-of-season than Auden Tate. In his first six games, he tallied nine receptions for 141 yards and four touchdowns. In his final four games of the regular season, he had 16 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns. As he gets more comfortable being a starter, he’ll get more targets and reach his ceiling.

Fans expecting a huge season a la Kelvin Benjamin 2013 might be disappointed. That usually doesn’t happen with wide receivers at Florida State, and even then, Benjamin really only burst into stardom at the end of the season. Still, Tate looks to become the tall reliable receiver that Florida State simply hasn’t had in the past couple of years.

A corps of Travis Rudolph, Kermit Whitfield, and Jesus Wilson isn’t bad; it just lacks the size that could help open up the playbook or force defenses to adjust. With Tate getting another offseason of work and being assured a starting role, he’s going to probably double his numbers from last year. Even then, his full impact might not be on the stat sheet.