Rashod Bateman is a wide receiver that played his collegiate football for the University of Minnesota. Bateman was selected 27th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 NFL Draft.
As a wide receiver Batemon is widely known for his incredible speed. This leaves many fans wondering what is Rashod Bateman’s 40 time.
Rashod Bateman ran an unofficial 40 time of 4.39 seconds at the Golden Gophers pro day in 2021. Bateman was unable to get an official 40 time because the 2021 NFL combine was cancelled due to the pandemic.
At six feet and one inch tall and weighing one hundred and ninety pounds this was quite an impressive 40 time for Rashod Bateman.
Though it is important to remember that this 40 time is unofficial. Unofficial 40 times are typically recorded using a stopwatch. This is less accurate than the laser timing which is used to record official 40 times.
Other players such as Elijah Moore, Kadarius Toney, and Rondale Moore we unable to get official 40 times due to the combine cancellation.
Pre Draft Strengths And Weaknesses
Like all prospects entering the draft, Rashod Bateman had a number of strengths and weaknesses. Now that Bateman has had a chance to play in the NFL it can be interesting to look over these old pre-draft takes to see how accurate they were.
Possesses NFL size as an outside target
One of the biggest positives about Bateman entering the NFL was his frame as a wide receiver. Many talented athletes come into the league as rookies with either the talent or the frame for their position.
Bateman has both which made him a scout favourite as he approached the draft. In his rookie year, Bateman was able to use his frame and catch radius to consistently bring in passes from the quarterback.
Though so far Bateman has primarily used his frame to bring in catches at the first level and has yet to stretch the field.
Carries pro-ready hands
Another positive about Rashod Bateman as a prospect was his consistency with his hands. By the time you enter the NFL teams expect receivers to catch all passes that touch their hands.
For Bateman, this was not an issue as he was able to consistently catch passes in college. This made him a great option on third downs when you need a receiver that you can depend on.
Instinctive to scramble and uncover when plays come off schedule
As a college football player, Bateman showed off the ability to scramble during plays to help his quarterback out. When plays were broken Bateman was able to use his chemistry with the quarterback to get open for a pass.
Now that he is in the NFL this trait has paid off. Lamar Jackson often scrambles in the pocket as he is a very athletic quarterback.
There were several times throughout his rookie season that Bateman was able to get open for Lamar as he scrambled for an important catch.
Average burst through change of direction in his routes
One of the negatives regarding Bateman as a prospect was his ability to burst out of the cuts on his route. Without speed out of the cut it can be difficult to gain separation from defenders.
In the NFL Bateman has not yet shown he can create this separation downfield. In his first year, the majority of his passes came at the first level in which Bateman was not required to achieve much separation on his route.
