John
Bates.
John
Bates.
Boise St.· 6'6"· 259 lb· 4.68s 40
"A 6'6", 259-pound Boise State tight end with real Y-strength, four college seasons of in-line blocking tape and thin route production — a Round-4 blocking-Y bet whose receiving ceiling was the flag."Pre-draft read
John Bates aligns in-line or off-tackle, using leverage and hand placement as a fifth offensive lineman on gap and outside-zone runs. He fires low from a three-point stance, snaps hands inside the framework, and turns edges out of the C-gap on outside zone and duo. He utilizes his length on second-level combo climbs and sustains blocks on defensive ends longer than typical college tight ends.
His route tree is functional but narrow: play-action leak, drift, corner off boot, and short crossers, with soft, natural hands when targeted in his frame. He doesn't separate against man coverage due to average burst and stiff hips on comebacks. His speed only stretches the seam in designed plays.
Gap/duo power run game, designed to create downhill running lanes and control the line of scrimmage.
Immediate Year 1 contributor as a blocking Y-tight end in 12 and 22 personnel packages, with a ceiling as a long-term TE2.
An Air Raid or Spread RPO scheme that prioritizes athletic, vertical-threat receiving tight ends and minimizes in-line blocking.
Bates's high-floor blocking and functional athleticism make him a ready-made asset for power-run concepts, but his receiving limitations cap his usage in pass-heavy schemes.
John Bates 35-yard gain vs. Broncos
Play-action leak into the middle of the field — the exact receiving concept his college tape projected into the NFL.
John Bates — 'Best Blocking Tight End in the NFL'
Commanders feature on his in-line blocking role — the trait that defined his draft file and the reason he has stuck.
Washington selects Boise State TE John Bates
Draft-night breakdown of the pick and the blocking-Y projection Washington bought into at #124.
John Bates projects as a prototypical in-line Y tight end, a role a team acquires for his immediate readiness as a blocker. His athletic profile aligns with a blocking-first Y rather than a move or flex tight end, suggesting a player who will contribute with his physical presence in the run game and in pass protection from day one.
Across four seasons at Boise State, Bates was primarily utilized in a role emphasizing combo-blocking Mountain West edges and second-level linebackers. His college offense frequently deployed him as a run-game piece, which is reflected in his modest career receiving production. This usage prepared him for an NFL scheme that values a tight end's blocking acumen and physical play at the line of scrimmage, with his on-field responsibilities translating directly to a professional Y role.
Evaluators generally saw Bates as a consensus Day 3 prospect, typically in the fourth or fifth round, largely due to his blocking prowess paired with limited receiving upside. The Washington Football Team drafted him with the 124th overall pick, viewing him as an eventual complement and insurance for their tight end position, betting on his blocking floor and adequate athleticism to solidify a long-term role as a TE2/TE3.
- 01
In-line blocking
Four seasons of true Y-tight-end reps at Boise State; fires low, snaps hands inside and sustains blocks on defensive ends, a rare Day-3 trait teams draft for.
- 02
Play strength
6'6", 259-pound frame with functional strength and the base to anchor in pass protection when the offense chips or keeps him in on max-protect looks.
- 03
Athletic profile for the role
A 4.68 forty, 32.5-inch vertical, 116-inch broad jump, and 7.26 three-cone check the box for an NFL in-line Y.
- 04
Hands and body control
46 college catches with very few drops; soft-handed on drifts, flats and play-action leaks, with the frame to shield defenders on option routes.
- 05
Scheme translation
Boise's offense asked him to combo-block, chip release and run boot concepts identical to NFL play-action packages.
- 01
Receiving ceiling
Modest career production (604 yards, two TDs across four Boise seasons); the target-earning route tree is narrow and yards-after-catch is limited.
- 02
Separation vs. man
Stiff hips on comeback and out-breaking routes; NFL linebackers and safeties can stay in phase, grading him as a Y2 rather than an every-down move tight end.
- 03
Long speed
His 4.68 forty is functional, not a seam-stretcher; the vertical route tree opens only on play-action or scheme leverage, not personal separation.
- 04
Level of competition
Mountain West edges and second-level defenders are not SEC/Big Ten front sevens; blocking dominance needs projection against NFL length and hand-fighting.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.68sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 116inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.26sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.44sp50
- Bench
- 22repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Boise State | 14 | 3 | 34 | 0 |
| 2018 | Boise State | 13 | 10 | 155 | 1 |
| 2019 | Boise State | 14 | 22 | 273 | 1 |
| 2020 | Boise State | 5 | 12 | 117 | 0 |
| Career | — | 46 | 47 | 579 | 2 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Blocking-first TE2 with occasional play-action targets who carves out a multi-year role by protecting the starter's snaps.
Reach comp — Bates has more frame and blocking pop, but the shared trait is a Day-3 tight end who sticks by owning a defined complementary role.
Journeyman blocking Y bouncing between depth charts and practice squads when the receiving numbers never materialize.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Solid role hit. Full-time blocking TE2 role throughout, 5-15 catches per year, plus in-line reps. Still on the Commanders roster in 2025 on a 1-year veteran deal. Journeyman blocker-Y with core-teams value.
Pre-draft context. Bates spent four seasons at Boise State as a true Y-tight end in an offense that valued him more as a run-game piece than a receiving weapon. He finished his college career at 6'6", 259 with 46 receptions for 604 yards and two touchdowns — modest counting stats that undersold what the film showed on gap and outside-zone runs. The 2021 combine was cancelled to COVID; his Boise pro day did the workout heavy lifting with a 4.68 forty, 32.5-inch vertical, 116-inch broad jump, 7.26 three-cone, 4.44 shuttle and 22 bench reps at 225. Board consensus put him firmly in the Round 4-5 blocking-Y tier, with the receiving ceiling as the flag.
NFL fit — Washington Football Team. The organization took him at #124 as a long-term complement to Logan Thomas and immediate insurance in a scheme that leaned on 12 personnel and outside-zone runs. Bates played real snaps as a rookie behind Thomas and grew into the Commanders' TE2/blocking specialist through 2022 and 2023, with occasional receiving flashes — most notably a 50-plus-yard grab on a boot concept — that reminded the building the hands were legitimate.
Retrospective. The pick landed exactly on its Day-3 projection: a durable, four-plus-year blocking Y who protects the starter's snaps and doesn't force the offense to sub for personnel groupings. He earned a re-signing in Washington, contributed on the Commanders' 2024 NFC Championship-run roster in a 12-personnel-friendly role, and now profiles as one of the league's cleaner examples of a Round-4 tight end who hit his floor without ever needing the ceiling.