Meet Edmond Gates, the New Fastest Man on the Miami Dolphins

DAVIE, FL – “I have never been in a race I have lost.”

Grab a hold of those words and smile. They flowed from the mouth of Edmond Gates Saturday afternoon, moments after the Dolphins made him their fourth-round selection in this year’s draft.

Until the Gates pick, there wasn’t much excitement with this draft as they snagged center Mike Pouncey (Florida) in round one and running back Daniel Thomas (Kansas State)  in round three. Neither of those players are considered game-breakers, and more just fit the Dolphins mantra of big and physical.

But finally, here comes the speed.

The 24-year-old Gates (6’0″, 197) is among the fastest receivers in the draft and immediately becomes Miami’s fastest player, on paper at least.

“4.35…4.37 something like that”, Gates replied when asked of his slowest (Yes, slowest) 40-yard dash time.

“The fastest, I was actually on a track surface and I ran a 4.21 but that was on a track surface so that kind of helps me.”

It’s a good thing this kid can scoot because the Dolphins offense desperately needs some pop. Miami quarterback Chad Henne, who as of now is the starter by default, ranked 32nd in the league season in percentage of passes attempted beyond 15 yards. They desperately needed a guy who could stretch the field and strike some fear into the defense.

Gates says he’s is an explosive guy, a big play guy. For the sake of the Dolphins offense and fans’ sanity he better be. He needs to be the one who commands safety attention over the top.

Expect him to be used primarily on deep fly patterns, bubble screens, and intermediate crossing routes in addition to helping out in the return game. His explosive style should compliment receivers Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess nicely, as those two are known more for their hands more than their feet.

Gates has an interesting background.

He took a hiatus from football after his freshman year (’01) of high school at Vernon (Texas) to focus on basketball, and after graduating in 2006, walked on at Tyler Community College to give hoops one last shot. But it didn’t work out and he transferred to Abilene Christian, an NCAA Division II school, before the 2007 season.

It wasn’t until six years after his last competitive football experience when cousin and current Bengals running back Bernard Scott convinced him to give the gridiron another shot.

In three short years at ACU, Gates established himself on the field as a major weapon both through the air and on the ground.

In 2010, Gates earned All-American and All-Lone Star Conference honors, as he led the Wildcats with 66 receptions, 1,182 yards (17.9 avg), and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for 189 yards with four touchdowns on 14 carries (13.5 avg) and his 28.71 yards per attempt on kickoff returns ranked 13th nationally.

Whether he can cap off his fascinating road to the NFL with a storybook ending as an impact player on the game’s highest level is up to him. The physical ability is there.

How quickly he can learn the nuances of the NFL game will dictate his early success. The leap to the NFL is hard enough for rookies from big-time Division I schools in major conferences. Gates is coming in with a limited football background from a small school with inferior competition.

The man who’s never lost a race in his 24 years on this earth at least adds a slice of electricity to what’s been a dead offense. The question now is will they have someone to get him the ball?

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