Penei goes 2 overall, who do you pick?

[Whatever]

(01-01-2021, 12:34 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Wasn't sure where to put this. Figure it's as good here as anywhere. 

There's been a lot of talk about Kyle Pitts in the 1st. Hear me out on this because i've pushed back on it, a lot, in the past.

I think we have a Kyle Pitts already on the roster and i think you may know where i'm going with this. 


Auden Tate. 


Get someone on the staff to work with him this entire offseason, nutritionist, lifting program, concept, route running. Get him to add 10-12lbs to his frame and there's no more posts about Tate, his value and what he is. It solves the problem of getting him on the field with other WR ahead of him (yeeeeeees, because of his speed) and it gives you a reliable hands tweener TE, like Pitts. 

This is the kind of thing other teams do on occasion and it would be nice to watch all the segments on how a Bengals converted WR is tearing it up at TE next year and i think it upgrades the TE position without having to use a pick.

There's several issues with this. Tate is one of only 3 non-PS WR's  under contract next year.  Converting Tate would mean we have to sign/resign/draft 4 WR's.  WR depth is a much bigger concern than TE depth.  It's a very safe bet that Tate can make the roster as a WR next year.  It's very long odds that he can make it as a TE and the odds of him being a stud in his first year playing the position are astronomically high.  

Tate has big time physical weaknesses in straight line speed, short area quickness, and route running.  Adding 15-20 pounds to his frame is only going to make those issues even worse.  He'll be slower, have less burst, and his routes will be even more imprecise.  On top of that, he'll have to block in line, which will be another weakness in all likelihood.  He's injury prone, and carrying that extra weight will but even more strain on his body.  It's also going to make it tougher to rotate his body in the air to make his highlight reel catches.  Plus, all the time he's going to spend in the off-season trying to bulk up and learn to block in line is going to take away time from the thing he needs to improve to be an effective receiving threat, like route running.

Pitts has athletic traits that Tate simply can't match and experience at the position. The only thing really comparable between them is the highlight reel grabs and Pitts is doing it at 10-15 pounds heavier.