Point No. 1: Golden Tate will be the Percy Harvin of this year's draft class.
During his final season at
Notre Dame, Tate caught 93 passes for 1,496 yards, rushed for 195 yards on 25 carries, averaged 14.2 yards-per-return on punts and 20.7 yards-per-return on kickoffs. He scored 15 times following a catch, twice on running plays, and once during a punt return. With his dangerous speed and ability to make people miss in the open field, he'll undoubtedly be showcasing his returns ability during his rookie season in the NFL. And he's even a viable candidate to be the focal-point player in a wildcat scheme.
"It's just my mentality. I don't like to be tackled. I like attempting to make the impossible, possible," he told me during a recent phone interview.
Tate's not only comfortable wearing many hats for his team, like Harvin, he relishes the opportunities to be a playmaker in so many different ways.
"During my senior year in high school I watched him when he was at Florida, and even this year," Tate said when I mentioned Harvin during our conversation. "That's a guy who is very elusive and can do many things--reverses, the wildcat, get in the backfield, and he can go out wide. I honestly think I can do that. I think with the NFL now, it's evolved into more than receivers just being receivers."
But narrow the scope of the conversation solely to pass-receiving skills, and the 5-foot-10, 199-pound player will shift the discussion to the Carolina Panthers'
Steve Smith.
"I really respect his game and I really enjoy the way he plays it. He's a guy built like me--speed is similar, very tough," Tate said. "I'm not afraid to go across the middle and I'm not afraid to go catch a ball at its high point. He's a small guy, but he plays like he's 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3, going up to get balls."
While his talent and numbers are enough to make him a solid selection in the first round of this year's draft, when you add Tate's engaging personality, confidence and love for the game into the equation, it becomes evident that he could become the NFL's next Percy Harvin.
"I really enjoy the lights being on--all lights on me to see if Golden is going to make this play," he said. "There's no greater feeling than catching a touchdown over a defender and having 80-plus thousand people cheering you on. I don't think there's anything better than that."
