A case study of premier NFL tight end Antonio Gates

With Antonio Gates recently clearing the 10,000 yard mark and soon to catch his 100th touchdown pass, there's little doubt that he's worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  His transition from NCAA basketball to the NFL has drawn a lot of attention from the recruiting world, which may suggest that sheer athleticism is indicative of success as an NFL tight end.  Due to Gates' well-publicized success, nearly every NFL team rosters a "project" tight-end: an sizable yet athletic individual who they hope may eventually contribute at the highest level.

While Gates built a reputation as a basketball NCAA player, he actually got started on a football scholarship.  After putting up a blazing 4.5 forty yard dash time and leaping a ridiculous 39 inches vertically at a high school football combine, Gates got an offer from Michigan State's Nick Saban with the understanding that he could also play basketball.  Between some classroom difficulties over his red-shirt year and Saban asking him to focus on football, Gates bounced around between a few institutions before landing at Kent State where he could focus on his first love of basketball.

Gates' combination of size, strength, and speed helped him lead the Kent State Golden Flashes to the elite 8 his junior year (2002) before losing the Hoosiers of Indiana University. At 6 foot, 4 inches tall, the NBA scouts suggested Gates was too much of a "tweener" to make it in the NBA, so his agent suggested he re-consider football as a career.  Perhaps due to his notoriety with the recent NCAA tourney run, Gates drew interest from more than half the league (19 teams) at Kent State's Pro day, but was offered only a handful of tryouts.  The San Diego Chargers got the first chance, scheduling a workout with Gates that ultimately proved so impressive that they signed him immediately.  

Gates rookie year was overshadowed by the Charger's losing season despite the best efforts of all-around back, LaDanian Tomlinson, who had 2370 yards from scrimmage.  With Tomlinson catching 100 passes that year, he drew a lot of attention from defenders the subsequent year.  Gates was absolutely dominating with the resulting 1-on-1 coverage, and his receiving line of 81-964-13 earned him a Pro-Bowl nomination in this sophomore season.  Gates has put up similar numbers for the last 10 years, with minor dips in production when he was playing through some chronic foot injuries.

Jimmy Graham, a similar late football convert to football, goes so far as to say that Gates "paved the way" for him and others like him.  However, it's possible that recency bias may result in overlooking some of the great players from the past who also spent significant time on the hardwood.  The next post will focus on the 8 players in the football hall of fame in the tight end position to see if there is any trend toward collegiate basketball (or other sports).