Washington Football Team reach for tight end John Bates in Round 4
Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft is underway. After adding four players on the first two days of the draft, the Washington Football Team has already added a fifth new player to the fold.
With the 124th pick in the draft, the Washington Football Team selected Boise State tight end John Bates. And it was a bit of a reach.
How John Bates fits with the Washington Football Team
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Bates is a 6-foot-6 tight end with a 250-pound frame. During his four years at Boise State, Bates racked up 47 catches for 579 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a long player with a good catch radius and he has solid hands. He impressed with his blocking ability at the Senior Bowl as well.
What Bates doesn’t have is great athleticism. He can run routes, but he’s not very fast or elusive with the ball in his hands. As such, he’ll be a functional pass catcher in contested-catch scenarios, but don’t expect him to be a big-time playmaker.
In all likelihood, the team will use Bates primarily as a blocker to pair with Logan Thomas. He’ll replace Jeremy Sprinkle as the backup to Thomas and he should have a chance to be better than the former fifth-round pick from Arkansas. Sprinkle couldn’t catch much despite being a good blocker. Bates should be able to do both.
That said, this was a bit early for Bates. There were some other tight ends available that have better receiving upside than Bates. Most notably, Brevin Jordan (Miami) was still on the board, and that would’ve been a more popular pick since Jordan has some juice as a receiver (though his poor testing numbers don’t line up with his tape).
However, it seems like Ron Rivera and Co. were looking for a better blocker. So, they decided to go with Bates. There is certainly a role for the Boise State tight end to play in this Washington offense and he will compete for the backup tight end job with the likes of Sammis Reyes, Tyrone Swoopes, Marcus Baugh, and Temarrick Hemingway in 2021.
Next. Grading WFT's first four 2021 draft picks. dark
Bates may look like a reach now — he probably should have been a Round 5 or 6 pick — but perhaps he will have a chance to live up to the expectations the coaching staff set for him by making him a Round 4 pick. And at least he’s a safe bet to contribute as a blocker. There are just questions about what his upside might be.