100 in 100: Ben Tate (44 of 100)

With the Combine now upon us, several players will have their chance to impress pro scouts with above par performances. Ben Tate is one of those guys that has not exactly been high on the radars. He has pretty much been a middle of the pack type of guy much like Shonn Greene was last year. Auburn has produced some pretty good running backs; most notably Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, and Cadillac Williams. Ben Tate will no doubt get his chance to shine, but in what role is the real question. Will he have enough to be considered a feature back? Or will he share time with another back? The league is trending more toward utilizing multiple backs. With different running styles a team can be more efffective; it gives defenses more to think about.

Tate has had an interesting career at Auburn, sort of an up and down if you will. He had playing time as a Freshman and showed a lot of potential. His Sophomore year he ran for just over 900 Yards and the buzz began around the Auburn running back. In 2008, his Junior year, Tate's production fell as defenses began keying in on him. And his final year, as a Senior, Tate finally went over 1000 Yards. Sometimes it pays to stay for a Senior year and other times (for other players) it doesn't. The Auburn running back has some solid tangibles but it is uncertain as to just how well they will translate at the next level. This week at the Combine could be crucial and dictate the perception of just how well Tate will be able to do.

Below, will be the highlights, stats, and projections as you all have grown used to.

This is the best highlight vid that I could find, so apologies for the music. If you don't care for it, I would advise that you mute it while watching the feed. Beyond that, the highlight here displays that Tate is a slashing north and south type of runner. There are a few runs that are ran out of the option which are more of the sweep variety but he also displays that he can run in between the tackles exceptionally.

AWARDS AND HONORS:

• 2009 Doak Award Finalist
• 2009 First Team All-SEC

CAREER STATS:

SUMMARY AND PROJECTION:

I believe that Tate will be a mid round pick. Like mentioned above, he has always kind of been a middle of the pack type of player. Unless he has a phenomenal Combine, I can't really see that changing much. I think that he can be a decent back at the next level but he will have his work cut out to be a feature back anywhere. I think if he has a great combine he can make his way in to the 2nd Round but beyond that, I expect him to be a 3rd Rounder, possibly even an early 4th.

Possibilities -- 3rd Round; 65-95, 4th Round; 96-111.

For more 100 in 100 articles follow the link:

http://www.ninersnation.com/section/100-in-100-2010