Brandon Tate Isn't Ready for a Major Role for the New England Patriots

The New England Patriots selected wide receiver Brandon Tate with the 19th pick in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. 

Tate came out of the University of North Carolina as a well-rounded wide receiver that could also play special teams. In fact, Tate is the all-time NCAA leader for combine return yards—however, Tate's success at the college level has yet to translate to the professional level. 

As of right now, the Patriots will be entering the 2011 season with wide receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch as the two starters, which means that Tate is the second best receiver coming in on sub-packages.

But, is Tate really that effective? In my opinion, no. I strongly believe that Tate is an average wide receiver at best, even though he displays a ton of athleticism, but has yet to adjust to the professional level. 

In a recent report done by CSNNE, NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell gives a quick summary of Tate's game and style of play for the New England Patriots: 

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"The way the Patriots use Brandon Tate tells that they don't think much of him at this point. He runs about three routes and the only time the ball comes to him is when a play is specifically called for him. In terms of physical ability, he's very good. If you look at the skill set of a wideout, he has it. He's big, he runs well, he's got good lateral quickness."

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Cosell makes a solid point when he brings up the fact that Tate does not run a variety of routes—he actually only runs vertical routes.

Last season for Tate, he reeled in 24 passes and averaged 25.8 yards per-reception—which is a definite indication that he's running deep, vertical routes. 

However, Tate's major downfall right now is his inconsistency. Tate only averaged 1.5 receptions per-game, which is definitely a red flag as he's New England's best deep threat. 

Cosell went onto discuss how much Tate was effective after the departure of Randy Moss:

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"But in taking the spot of Randy Moss, he was stepping in for someone who was as good a vertical receiver as we've ever seen. Tate has vertical skills but not Randy Moss vertical skills and that's why coverage was different for Tate after Moss left. I also think Tate's hands can be erratic That can't happen with the few plays they run for him."

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All in all, Tate wasn't ready for a major role in 2010, and due to the NFL lockout, his development will definitely be stunned. 

The Patriots lack a true vertical threat, and as of right now, Tate is not the answer and will need to address that moving into the 2011 season. 

This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @  TonySantorsa.