Rookie 7th round pick Auden Tate is noticeably slower than the other WRs but he has made two unreal, leaping, body-control catches for touchdowns in 1-on1 and 7-on-7 drills. #Bengals

— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) June 13, 2018

Sam Hubbard just dropped back in coverage and stayed with Joe Mixon on a deep sideline route step for step, then deflected the pass. @FOX19 #Bengals

— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) June 13, 2018

If he makes the team he should only be in red zone packages i wish he was even bigger could convert to a hybrid TE

This was always my knock on him as a Seminole....his speed.  But man, kid has some hands, and is a constant threat in the redzone.  As Tswigz says....would be nice if he could bulk up and play some TE.

So we have a blazing fast top 10 pick in Ross and a noticeably slow 7th round WR in Tate? This just got interesting.

Sam Hubbard, showing why he was an all-state Safety!

OK the Hubbard tweet has me very excited.  Mixon's got good size and speed.   Most of our DEs have had trouble handling the zone blitz.  This sounds promising.

And I know they were highlights, but I liked what I saw of his highlights.   I'm hoping we got an under the radar steal here.

Tate's hands are showing up in the OTA video's posted on the main site. He looks slow with the Wideouts, but there may just be a spot open at TE, and none of them are known for their speed....

The Mike Brown in me says move him. Let him be a receiving TE.

I feel Hubbard will end up being everything we wished Margus Hunt was.

(06-13-2018, 11:06 PM)JumboTron Wrote: I feel Hubbard will end up being everything we wished Margus Hunt was.

I'm not sure if Margus Hunt is a fair comparison, but I'm pretty sure that Sam Hubbard is legit.  The Bengals have been long looking for a pass rusher that can also drop into coverage effectively.  Seems like Sam just might have that elusive skill set.

Instead of putting on weight to be a TE, he should drop 10lbs and add speed.

Judging by his combine vert (31”) he needs to work on leg explosion. The team should have him spending time with the strength coach, targeting those muscles.

I am happy Hubbard is doing well. If he can drop back and cover TE it could really add options in defensive schemes.
Tate is super slow with a 4.68 40 time. Decent for a TE. I agree that he should put on maybe 20 pounds (about 250) and be converted TE. Looks like Eifert is having medical issues again to no surprise. I don't know if Tate can block though.

(06-13-2018, 11:06 PM)JumboTron Wrote: I feel Hubbard will end up being everything we wished Margus Hunt was.

To be fair, though, The Grand Estonian didn't play for Moeller. Didn't play four years at Ohio State either. LOL 

(06-13-2018, 05:48 PM)Nately120 Wrote: So we have a blazing fast top 10 pick in Ross and a noticeably slow 7th round WR in Tate? This just got interesting.

I'm thinking that the single quality you really want in a receiver is to be able to actually catch the ball above all else.. One of the reasons I was no receiver in school despite being fast was I couldn't catch a football to save my life.. 

Position names don't really matter, it really comes down to skill sets. If you call him a TE or a WR your going to ask him to do the same things. You will split him out wide in the redzone and run him on slants/fades. Even if we call him a TE we aren't going to attach him inline and ask him to block so it is all semantics. I think he gives us some nice size in the redzone between him, Green and hopefully Eiffert.

I was super excited and posting about it here when we signed him. I think he can be productive in the Redzone, and even outside the redzone. A lot of his success will come down to his chemistry with Andy, as a guy like him who isn't fast will need good ball placement and body positioning to make plays in between the 20's.

I like the versatility Hubbard offers, I think he can allow us to give some 3-4 looks with Lawson acting as the other rush linebacker.

3wt Wrote:OK the Hubbard tweet has me very excited.  Mixon's got good size and speed.   Most of our DEs have had trouble handling the zone blitz.  This sounds promising.

And I know they were highlights, but I liked what I saw of his highlights.   I'm hoping we got an under the radar steal here.

Yeah, I was wondering why one of those contenders at the end of the 2nd didn't take him as an NFL ready 3rd DE, especially with the way FA turns over rosters.  If Austin chooses to zone blitz more often (especially with multiple safety/db looks) Hubbard could be a weapon.  He has so many skills that we take for granted, and with camp and reps he can smooth out how he turns the corner and gets to the point of attack quicker.  

Tate was always a slower WR. He wins with his size and hands. He was a very good red zone threat at FSU. I expect him to be the same for the Bengals. The Bengals could definitely use another red zone threat, so I like his chances to make the roster over the likes of Core or even Erickson provided Phillips, Wilson, or someone else steps up to replace Erickson as a returner.

ochocincos Wrote:Tate was always a slower WR. He wins with his size and hands. He was a very good red zone threat at FSU. I expect him to be the same for the Bengals. The Bengals could definitely use another red zone threat, so I like his chances to make the roster over the likes of Core or even Erickson provided Phillips, Wilson, or someone else steps up to replace Erickson as a returner.

Yeah Tate was a smart pick that late with the red zone niche.  I'd be interested to see if they lean Eifert further away from playing near the line where he becomes more of a slot or split end type for red zone jump ball/box out/slant plays.  If so, maybe Tate being able to do the same thing consistently gives you an actual game plan you wouldn't have to alter.  CJ could be used in similar ways as well. 

(06-14-2018, 10:20 AM)phil413 Wrote: Yeah Tate was a smart pick that late with the red zone niche.  I'd be interested to see if they lean Eifert further away from playing near the line where he becomes more of a slot or split end type for red zone jump ball/box out/slant plays.  If so, maybe Tate being able to do the same thing consistently gives you an actual game plan you wouldn't have to alter.  CJ could be used in similar ways as well. 

Maybe. I think Eifert needs to play 12+ games this season and end the season healthy in order to get another contract from the Bengals. Otherwise, they should move on. Kroft is a solid 4th/5th option in the offense and we're seeing more and more pass catching TEs enter the draft every year. I really wish the Bengals would have gone after Mark Andrews in Rd 3 over Hubbard or Jefferson in this past draft. I really like Andrews as a pass catching TE and thought he'd become a great Eifert replacement.