Not too many NFL players can help you with your stock portfolio after practice

Bucs' Cameron Brate: NFL playbook imposing, even for Harvard grad1h agoCameron Brate was nicknamed "Harvard" when he joined the Bucs. He has three touchdown catches this season. AP Photo/Darron CummingsRick Brown    ESPNTAMPA, Fla. -- Not too many NFL players can help you with your stock portfolio after a long, grueling day at practice -- but Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate could if you asked him.Brate, who joined the Bucs in 2014 as an undrafted free agent, earned an economics degree from Harvard -- which ended up as Brate's nickname for a while in Tampa.Brate hauled in five catches for 53 yards -- both career-highs -- last Sunday in a loss to the Colts. He leads the Bucs' tight ends with 14 catches for 184 yards and three scores. The Naperville, Illinois, native shared his experiences and inspirations as part of our weekly Q&A with a member of the Bucs:Do the guys give you grief for being an Ivy Leaguer?Brate: Yes, I would say they do. The first couple of months I didn't have a name -- they just called me "Harvard." It's all in good fun. There are worse things to be made fun of than going to Harvard.If you weren't playing football, what would you be doing?Brate: Maybe something in finance. I'm kind of a numbers guy. I once did an internship at a hedge fund, so that may be something for down the road.What has been your biggest challenge in the sport?Brate: That playbook was hard my rookie year. It's a lot different playbook going from Harvard to the NFL.What's the best advice you've received as a pro?Brate: Just to be confident in yourself. Especially coming from a smaller school, being a tryout guy, you don't really know if you're good enough to hang with these guys. [Tight end coach Jon Embree] told me, "You belong. You're just as good as all these guys."What advice would you give to younger players?Brate: I was going to first give the advice to be smart with your money once you get into the NFL. But have fun with football. You can't do it your whole life. Practice every day and meetings can get monotonous, but find a way to make it fun.