The Cincinnati Bengals found something special in the seventh round of the 2018 draft with Auden Tate.
There’s an outside chance the Bengals did it again this offseason with undrafted free agent Scotty Washington out of Wake Forest.
Washington wasn’t the biggest name in Cincinnati’s undrafted class. But he sure sounds familiar — he’s a big 6’5″ target who fell far down the draft board and happens to have a massive catch radius.
Tate entered the draft at 6’5″ and 228 pounds. Washington entered at 6’5″ and 225 pounds. Tate had 65 catches for 957 yards and 16 scores on a per-catch average of 14.7 over the course of his college career. Washington had 110 for 1,676 yards and 13 scores on a 15.2 average.
There are bigger nuances to their games of course. But both are fun mismatch creators, especially on short fields. Both entered the league with concerns about how they’d ever create separation — but zero questions at all about how they’d perform on jump balls and other contested catches.
Tate was a fun breakout last year with A.J. Green sidelined, inhaling 40 catches for 575 yards and a score on a 14.4 average. One could argue he’s got the roster niche on lockdown.
But Washington’s resume and highlight reel make for a powerful brew. If nothing else, the Bengals sure won’t hurt for roster depth and practice squad candidates as Washington enters the fray this summer.
