Tate worth the wait for the New England Patriots

DMN ^ | Rick Gosselin

[Dysart]

When you build a roster as talented as the New England Patriots, you can afford to wait on a player or two.

And when you have an abundance of draft picks, as the Patriots did last April, you can swing for the fences on a few.

The Patriots did just that when they claimed North Carolina wide receiver Brandon Tate in the third round with the 83rd overall selection. He was on his way to becoming a first-round selection last fall until a severe knee injury ended his senior season in the sixth game against Notre Dame. He tore both the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee.

Tate was part Devin Hester, part Reggie Bush, part Percy Harvin. Before his injury, he caught 16 passes for a 23.5-yard average with three touchdowns for the Tar Heels. He rushed 11 times for a 13-yard average and another score. He returned seven punts for an average of 22.6 yards and a touchdown and 11 kickoffs for an average of 27.7 yards.

A wide receiver by trade, Tate is the NCAA’s all-time kick yardage leader with 3,523 (2,688 on kickoffs and 835 on punts). He scored six career touchdowns on returns (three on kickoffs, three on punts). Overall, he scored 10 career touchdowns of 50 yards or more.

But because of his injury, Tate figured to be away from the football field for at least a year. He’d have to rehabilitate his knee, so anyone that drafted him would have to start him off on the physically-unable-to-play (PUP) list. Tate wouldn’t be available to his NFL employer until late October at best.