Draft Analysis: Rashod Bateman

March 17, 2021 /
  • Height: 6’2″
  • Weight: 210lbs
  • College: Minnesota
  • Tape watched: Maryland 2020, Penn State 2019, Auburn 2019, Purdue 2019 + 2020
  • NFL Comparison: Allen Robinson

Pros

  • Route Running
    Smooth as butter, Bateman has fluid hips to transition into breaks. He attacks his stems well and stays square to defenders. He is exceptional at working through contact in his routes. Bateman has a top-tier speed-cut that will transition very well to the NFL.
Bateman does an excellent job shying his body away from contact and runs his shoulder through the defender to stay clean on his vertical route. The leap and catch radius at the end is bonus.
  • Hands
    It cannot be emphasized enough how strong Bateman’s hands are. He keeps the ball away from his body in almost all situations. He is able to attack the football and steal it out of defenders’ hands. He does have some drops in close, contested situations that can be improved upon.
  • YAC
    Bateman’s catch and run skills are up there with the best in the class. He is so smooth from catch, tuck, and run. He slides effortlessly through seams in the defense and can take an ordinary slant to the house. He has enough lateral agility to make defenders miss in space. He also has a good knack for falling forward on most tackles.

Cons

  • Release
    There is a distinct hitch in Bateman’s release. He often rocks backwards and has a tendency to false step. False steps can be overemphasized in coaching, as it does tend to waste time and create bad habits. However, this doesn’t seem to have a significant impact to Bateman’s route stem. He does however waste time with corners by chopping feet and staying parallel with them. He needs to use his quickness to get corners off balance and work to stack as soon as he can.
  • Combat Catches
    Bottom line, Bateman did not win enough contested catch situations in the tape I watched. He doesn’t work back to the ball with aggressiveness at times, and allows defenders to get last second pass break ups.
  • 2019 vs 2020
    There is a noticeable difference in athleticism and burst from 2019 to 2020 for Rashod Bateman. Bateman reportedly added weight, and when paired with his opt out, could explain the slight edge that was missing from 2019.
  • Route Tree
    A very simplified RPO-based offense at Minnesota didn’t help Bateman’s NFL route tree progression. Bateman featured a lot of standups, quick slants, and fade routes. He will be asked to do more at the next level, and based on the abilities he showed when asked to run uncommon routes, he should transition seamlessly.

Overview

Rashod Bateman should be a first round pick in April. His all-around game is worthy of high draft capital and should make an instant return on investment. He has great hands, detailed route running, and the ability to make big plays in a variety of ways. Assuming a normal off-season and NFL program get him back to the speed and agility of 2019, he is a threat that can lineup anywhere in the offense.