The debate between football and baseball for the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Tate sometimes seems to overshadow his status as the top 5-tool athlete in the 2009 draft class. That debate was fanned a couple of times this fall. The first situation developed when Tate, the son of former NFL running back Lars Tate, chose to reconsider his decision not to play football and was allowed to rejoin the Cartersville (Ga.) High team after one game. Tate also did not sign a baseball letter-of-intent in the one-week November signing period, deciding instead to wait until the football signing date in February. Southern California and his father’s alma mater, Georgia, were considered the leading contenders for his services before he settled on North Carolina. Although he has starred at quarterback and wide receiver in high school, he is considered an elite-level safety prospect. On the baseball field, Tate is a center fielder with 6.3-second speed in the 60 and one of the top throwing arms in the country. His defensive instincts are excellent and should only continue to improve as he gets more baseball experience. Tate’s raw power is at or near the top of the 20-80 scouting scale, especially when he stays balanced and short to the ball, and lets his natural strength and bat speed take over. Tate’s pure hitting skills are understandably the least-developed part of his game. He tends to guess often at the plate and swing through pitches that he will eventually learn to jump all over. Tate performed well for the USA Baseball’s junior national team, hitting .294-0-2 with a team-high five steals at the 2008 World Junior Championships.

--DAVID RAWNSLEY