A few months ago, during the college football season, I watched as former Notre Dame receiver Golden Tate put up an absurd 244 yards in a 37−30 win over Washington on Oct. 3. On nine catches, Tate abused the Huskies defense — OK, maybe this isn't quite the feat, but 244 yards is 244 yards no matter what, especially given that the most Washington gave up all year to any individual receiver besides that was 138 — which prompted me to turn to my friend and boldly predict that Tate would have a better pro career than quarterback Jimmy Clausen. This statement was immediately met with disdain and shouts, and I was banned from talking for the rest of the afternoon.
Here's why I'm right:
This past weekend, during the three−day extravaganza of boring that was the NFL Draft, Tate was selected without much hype at No. 60 overall, going to the Seattle Seahawks to play with former USC coach Pete Carroll. In Tate, the Seahawks got, in my opinion, the receiver with the most upside at incredible value. Though he was the fourth wideout taken, I stand by my statement that he'll have a great pro career.
Need proof of his abilities as a receiver? Just YouTube the Fighting Irish's game on Oct. 18, 2009 against USC, during which he burned the Trojans' highly touted safety, Taylor Mays — don't get me started on Mays blaming Carroll for not getting drafted until the second round — for two touchdowns. Fastforward to the end and watch Tate truck Mays in the end zone, then rewind the clip to see Tate absorb a hit in traffic and somehow manage to get one foot down to score. He's a freak of an athlete, one who ran a 4.36 and a 4.37, unofficially, at the combine. Oh yeah, and he's a .318 lifetime hitter on the baseball team whose 45 runs last year is the third−highest in program history.
With freakish speed and an uncanny, almost NFL Blitz−like ability to break tackles, it's no secret that Tate was a top prospect after he left South Bend following his junior year. But his 5−foot−10 stature might surprise some people, especially given that Tate joins a Seahawks receiving corps with a 6−foot−2 T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a 6−foot−4 Reggie Williams and a 6−foot−5 Mike Williams. Do I smell a hybrid between Wes Welker's size and Randy Moss' deep−threat capability?
Sure, the argument can be made that Tate is just a product of a system, that his 1,496 yards and 15 touchdowns last year were simply the result of the pass−happy Charlie Weis trying to boost the stock of Clausen (What else would it be? It's not like they won that often). It's a fair point, and I'll accept it. But it's not like Carroll doesn't have a history of getting the most out of his quarterbacks and consequently spreading the wealth around to a deep receiving corps. Tate entered an ideal situation, one in which he's instantly set up to succeed.
With Tate, Seattle instantly got better. The Seahawks have a home−run threat in the return game, a deep threat to complement Houshmandzadeh and an instant option for the Wildcat offense, should Carroll decide to go down that road. And in adding Russell Okung, Leon Washington and LenDale White, among others, on draft day, Seattle instantly becomes a favorite in a below−average NFC West.
And maybe, to further refute my argument, you can say that Clausen will immediately be given a chance to succeed in Carolina, that his situation will ultimately breed a battle−tested QB ready to burst onto the national scene in the next few years. But just like Allen Iverson was talking about practice, I'm talking about long−term success here, and Tate has that potential.
You'll never hear a complaint about his work ethic, any illegal transporting of alcohol or any shady dealings in Georgia. Only pure, unadulterated excitement.
Oh yeah, and did I mention he's a freak?
Just go watch; YouTube never lies.
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Alex Prewitt is a sophomore majoring in English and religions. He can be reached at Alexander.Prewitt@tufts.edu.
