Tre McBride vs Richmond: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

There are many fans, myself included, that are eagerly waiting to see if Tre McBride can end up as late-round gold for the Tennessee Titans.  Unfortunately, there just isn't a lot of video available for seventh-round selections out of William & Mary. McBride's game against Richmond was the only full game I could find online, so I'll try and spotlight a few talking points. There isn't a whole lot to analyze from this game, so it'll be a very different and condensed style of breakdown today.

The Good

Overall I think McBride does a good job using his superior physical attributes against weaker competition. He's got enough speed to beat defensive backs man-to-man and can stretch out for catches. Against Richmond early on he faced zone coverage though, and found the soft spots in the defense.

Unfortunately the camera loses track of his route on the play below. The defense is in zone as the DB lets him go, and McBride reels in a catch in front of the safety.

William & Mary runs the same play to the opposite side of the field later in the game.

Neither of these are particularly great plays by McBride - he just takes what's given.

The one play where we finally get to see some of his skill is on this fingertip catch:

Its worth noting that McBride is the slot receiver on all three of these plays, and I expect to see that trend continue in Tennessee. I think the goal is for him to be Wright's backup this season.

The Bad

So much about football is about consistency, and in this game Tre McBride struggled with it. This is one of his two drops on the day:

The Ugly

I was willing to cut him a bit of slack on the previous play, but this next one does not get that benefit. He's up against man coverage and beats the DB easily, only to have the ball go through his hands. It was hard to see from the sideline camera angle but the endzone view proves him guilty of the mistake.

I've seen many scouting reports that were complimentary of McBride's catching ability, so its possible that this isn't the norm for him. This game is just a quick snapshot of his ability and there are certainly aspects of his game he'll have to improve on in the big league.