Arizona Wildcats football roundup: Fall of Khalil Tate QB38 according to one NFL draft analyst is hard to fathom – Kokomo Perspective

Recent happenings related to Arizona Wildcats football, gathered from various sources:

Has the NFL draft punditrys disdain for Khalil Tate gone too far?

The former UA quarterback and one-time Heisman Trophy hopeful is generating little if any buzz entering the draft, which is set to begin April 23. Tate unquestionably was hurt by the cancellation of Arizonas pro day, where he would have been able to meet with NFL team representatives and show off what he learned from training with Donovan McNabb. The way the 2019 season ended for Tate didnt help either; he lost his full-time starting job, and the Wildcats lost their final seven games.

Still, Tate is an elite athlete with considerable arm talent who, if coached up, could fill a Slash-type role for a team along the lines of what Taysom Hill has done for New Orleans in recent seasons. Tate might have to do it as an undrafted free agent, though.

In The Athletics superb and extensive 2020 NFL Draft Guide, released earlier this week, analyst Dane Brugler ranks Tate as the No. 38 QB prospect in the draft. Some of the players ranked ahead of him: Kevin Davidson of Princeton, Reid Sinnett of San Diego, Kai Locksley of UTEP, Case Cookus of NAU, Ben DiNucci of James Madison, Roland Rivers III of Slippery Rock, Nick Tiano of Chattanooga, Jalen Morton of Prairie View A&M and Kurt Rawlings of Yale.

Because hes in the Best of the rest category, Tate doesnt have a writeup in the guide, which is available to anyone who has a subscription to The Athletic. We reached out to Brugler for his take on Tate:

Tate is tough because he's going to have to change positions for the NFL (in my opinion), but we don't really have any evidence of what he can do elsewhere. I was told he refused to do any receiver drills during the process before the pandemic shut everything down. You're right about the athleticism, though, which is why he'll get in a camp.

Would the scouting community view Tate differently if he had committed to moving to wide receiver and had an opportunity to display those skills at pro day and/or private workouts? Maybe. It would have shown a willingness on Tates part to be a team player and might have quelled some of the makeup concerns that also undoubtedly are dogging him during this process.

Pro Football Networks Tony Pauline ranks Tate as QB36. Bleacher Reports Matt Miller ranks Tate as the No. 24 quarterback prospect, which still would put him in the undrafted-free-agent bin. Over the past five years, an average of 11.2 quarterbacks have been selected. The peak was 15 in 2016.

The Athletic projects Arizona tailback J.J. Taylor as a seventh-round pick or priority free agent. Thats consistent with other seven-round mock drafts.

CBSSports.com projected Taylor to go in the seventh round to the Minnesota Vikings. USA Todays Draft Wire had Taylor going to New England in Round 7. Draft Wire also had the Patriots selecting UA cornerback Jace Whittaker in the sixth round. Brugler projects Whittaker as a priority free agent.

Here's Bruglers summation of Taylor:

Taylor is a quicker than fast athlete who loves to punch the gas instead of tapping on the brakes to attack defenses. While he should be commended for hurried decisiveness in the backfield, if he showed better discipline with his reads, he would see bigger holes about to open. Overall, Taylor has the shifty feet, soft hands and go-go-go play attitude that makes him a fun watch, but it will take the right situation for him to earn a roster spot as a change-of-pace option.

Taylor also received some love from CBSSports.com draft writer Chris Trapasso, who tweeted that Taylors effort vs. Stanford last season (133 scrimmage yards on 21 touches) was one of the best performances at the position in this draft class.

Arizona had offered scholarships to 161 class-of-2021 prospects as of Wednesday afternoon, according to 247Sports database. The UA is on pace to eclipse its total from 2020 of 258, which was higher than any of the previous three recruiting cycles.

Where are those offers being sent? What positions do those prospects play? Starting with the 2021 crop, we examined the past five rounds of offers. Here are some of our findings:

2017

Calif. 35.96%

Texas 7.39%

2018

Calif. 35.06%

Texas 19.48%

2019

Calif. 31.03%

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Texas 25.62%

2020

Calif. 22.09%

Texas 22.48%

2021

Calif. 25.47%

Texas 27.95%

We recently had a chance to catch up with Marcus Griffin, a former defensive lineman at Arizona who lives in Bellevue, Washington in the heart of ground zero for the coronavirus outbreak in the United States.

A four-star recruit from Bellevue High School, Griffin appeared in 11 games for the Wildcats from 2015-17, recording five tackles. He spent the 2018 season as a grad transfer at Central Michigan, where he made 12 stops in 11 games.

Griffin graduated with a degree in social behavior and human understanding from the UA before earning his MBA at CMU. Hed like to work in a college football recruiting department one day.

For now, Griffin works in corporate sales. He got a job in that field in Seattle after moving home in December. He currently lives with his parents, who run the Enchanted Cuts hair salon for kids in nearby Redmond. Like most everyone else, the three are stuck at home for the time being.

Heres a snippet of our conversation with Griffin:

Bellevue is adjacent to Seattle. What has it been like there over the last month or so?

A: Bellevue is kind of like a utopia. Its a real city, but it doesnt feel like a real city. Its like Scottsdale but on steroids. Theres a lot of old wealth here. Microsoft, Amazon, Nordstrom, all those families are here. So this place is different.

Obviously, the city has (shut) down. You dont see as many people outside. Other than that, I havent really been able to tell the difference. A lot of people got old money, so this isnt a situation thats going to hurt them right now. Maybe in the long run, but not currently.

Whom do you see on a day-to-day basis?

A: My family. Nobody else. Just my mom and dad. Thats it. I havent seen my friends We actually had some beefs about it. I dont know who youve been around. I dont know who your familys been around. Id just rather not risk it.

This doesnt seem like a good time to have a hair salon.

A: My mom is a saver to her core, luckily enough. Were fine. I havent felt any change to our lifestyle. Shes always had that mindset of, Id rather save for a rainy day. If she had the mindset I have, wed be feeling it. Im in a great position with my job to where I could afford everything in my (own) household if I had to, but I havent had to.

Does it seem like people are scared there?

A: I wouldnt say scared. But I would say more cautious and more aware. I think in the beginning people thought this was a joke. They didnt take it seriously. I was fortunate. My parents did a lot of research in the beginning and saw that this could be a potential issue for us.

Whats your advice for people who are dealing with isolation, loneliness and other issues during the pandemic?

A: Were all different as human beings and what it takes for us to function and live our daily life. Make some goals. Come out of this wanting to get some things accomplished. I want to listen to a couple audio books. I want to lose 15 pounds. I want to learn some new things.

If you dont come out of this smarter, healthier, more in shape, more attuned to yourself, youre just wasting time. You gotta do the time instead of allowing the time to do you.