Rookie Player Profile: Tre McBride

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Video

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCoJA9NIrHk

Against Richmond (2014)

Combine Review

Height: 6’0”
Weight: 210 pounds
Hands: 9”
Arm Length: 32.125”
40-Yard Dash: 4.41 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.08 seconds
Vertical: 38.0”
Broad: 122.0”

Strengths

Tre “Magnifique” McBride (that’s the nickname I’m coining for the moment) has the art of catching the ball mastered. He has elite body control and awareness to track the ball and the type of catch radius that saves an inaccurate quarterback from an incompletion or two each game. He is also a fearless route runner and is willing to take a hit to make the catch or fight for another yard. McBride has good measurements and grades out as an excellent athlete for the position.

Weaknesses

The word “diva” was used to describe McBride among some scouts, with some speculating that his attitude contributed to his slide into the seventh round. On the field though, Tre struggled gaining separation against better competition and was forced to rely on his ball skills to win contested throws. The speed is evident on the track but he is not running by defenders on the field, calling into to question his ability to accelerate and beat coverage. McBride’s route running has improved but there is still some polish needed, which would help with the aforementioned separation issue.

Opportunities

McBride is walking into a situation where the entire offense is up for grabs. Holdovers Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter have had their shares of ups and downs with the latter likely seeing his waning days in the Music City. Fellow rookie Dorial Green-Beckham, barring any behavior issues, is a lock for an outside receiver role. With Wright operating primarily out of the slot, there is opportunity for McBride. He will have to contend with new signing Harry Douglas, the third receiver in Atlanta in 2014. Oh yeah, Hakeem Nicks is there too.

The overall scheme of the offense favored pass last year as 59% of the plays were throws, good for 12th in the NFL in 2014. Part of that has to do with a lackluster running game, one that added David Cobb and little else. I expect the team to continue to be pass heavy with a leaky defense and an uninspired rushing attack.

Threats

There are two threats, one directly related to performance and the other indirectly. Directly, the quarterback situation stand to impact every receiver who plays. Zach Mettenberger has an inaccurate arm but can rifle the ball down the field with ease. Meanwhile, Marcus Mariota, the second overall draft pick, is highly accurate and can place the deep ball well, but is more suited to the intermediate passing game. McBride owners should be rooting for Mett to win the job, although it seems likely that the team will roll with Mariota early.

The indirect impact is the sheer size of the wide receiver depth chart. While McBride can overcome this with strong play in the offseason camps and during the preseason, it limits his opportunities to shine. Seventh round selections are typically developmental prospects so Tre may be looking at a rookie season of sideline lessons.

Short-term Expectations

With this messy of a wide receiver depth chart, short-term expectations are difficult to project. My money, though, is on McBride hugging the bench most the season and using practice to refine his route running and improve on separating from cornerbacks. The Titans will probably feature Wright and Douglas (in addition to DGB) to provide veteran options for Mariota as he is the priority in this offense. Expectations are low barring injury or a phenomenal preseason.

Long-term Expectations

This is where we should get excited. Some had McBride as the fourth or fifth best wide receiver in this draft class. The fact he slipped to the seventh round will be less relevant as the years pass. McBride has the capabilities to become a strong second wide receiver for an NFL offense and a top 30 WR in fantasy scoring. When we look back on this class, McBride will likely hit a home run and be a long-term contributor or will never get a chance and we will be left to wonder… what if?

NFL Comparisons

Go ahead, call me a cheater for pluralizing this section. It is easier to give at least two comparisons to create a better understanding of the player (for me at least). With that, I liken Tre McBride to Brandon LaFell and Pierre Garcon. LaFell has that similar ability to track and catch passes that few are capable of while Garcon has that overall polish to his catch tool.

Rookie Draft Advice

McBride is being drafted, on average, at the end of the third round in rookie drafts. Some of that is due to his NFL draft position but he is a better player than that reflects. I expect that draft spot to rise a little during the off-season but getting McBride at any point in the third round is a good acquisition.

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