Post Draft Ben Tate Edition

Pure Texans Bull
Post Draft Edition – Part II
May 7, 2010

2nd Round Pick - RB Ben Tate from Auburn
At the top of the Texans draft board sat Fresno St. running back Ryan Matthews. San Diego outmaneuvered the Texans and selected Matthews. The Texans addressed another need with cornerback Kareem Jackson.

If reports are believed, the Texans were angling for Toby Gerhart of Stanford until they traded down and Minnesota snapped him up. In what I believe a panic move, the Texans then traded up in order take the next back on their board in Ben Tate.

In my biased opinion, I think Tate will be a better fit for the Texans than Gerhart. I’d rather have a hard running back from the Southeast Conference than a Pac-10 one. I’m just not a fan of Pac-10 runners. There is a definite top and second division in the Pac-10. The top division of Pac-10 probably can’t compete in the SEC. Just about every week in SEC contest it’s a war. Add to the fact that Tate played under three different systems at Auburn and I give him another huge edge over Gerhart.

The Tate Scouting Report
Outside of C.J. Spiller or Matthews, I don’t think the Texans could have made a better pick. Several backs were rated higher than Tate but the Texans weren’t necessarily looking for qualities others were.

Tate is a good sized back with speed to burn. Standing 5’ 11” and 220 lbs, Tate runs a reported 4.43 40 but some say he has been clocked at 4.38. Gerhart is about the same size but runs a 4.56 40 and Matthews is similar in all measurables. All things considered, I’m surprised the Texans were targeting Gerhart before Tate.

Tate brings size and speed to a run game that ranked 30th in the NFL. Rookie phenomenon Steve Slaton’s production fell off his second year.

The Good
He is solid and can follow his blocks. One report I read knocks his patients and doesn’t hit the line full speed. In the limited game film I saw, I didn’t see the impatience. Auburn uses a lot of pulling linemen and Tate excelled at following blocks and waiting for plays to develop. I’ll reiterate what I’ve said before about game film clips, they can be cherry picked to show what the creator wants you to see.

Tate says he isn’t afraid of contact and stated “If I can’t run past you, I’ll run you over.” While I don’t think Slaton feared contact, I don’t think he had the linebacker mentality that Tate seems to have. Down at the goal line and short yardage, you need that toughness to get the yards to extend the drive or get the points.

The Bad
One scout said Tate doesn’t play up to his full speed until in the open field. Another report stated that he isn’t a good pass catching back. If those are his downsides, I don’t care. Though Tate was brought in partially because of his speed, his first task will be to get those tough inside yards and then look for the homerun yardage. On the second point, Houston didn’t draft Tate to catch passes. If healthy, that will be Steve Slaton’s job.

The Skinny
The Chris Brown Project was a failure and a costly one too. Not in the terms of finances but in terms of losses. Brown fumbled twice at the goal line and threw an ill advised half back option in another. Not wanting to go the retread route like Brown or Ahman Green, the Texans decided to bring in a rookie to mold in their image. The Texans will give Tate every chance to take the starting job and contribute right away. If Slaton returns to health and rookie form, the Texans could sport one of the more exciting backfields in the NFL.

Tate could give the power inside running game that is sorely lacking while Slaton could provide the homerun threat catching the football out of the back field and on screens. Both players are extremely quick. Mix in the potential game breaking speed of both players and the Texans will be a threat to score on almost every carry. The potential is there but a lot of work and some luck need to fall in place.