Off the board goes the Buckeyes first offense weapon and the number one wide receiver in this year's draft, Carnell Tate.
With the fourth pick in the NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans select Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.
In a start to the draft that has been nothing short of electric for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Tate is the first offensive player off the board, and the Titans are getting the best wide receiver available in the draft.
The discourse around Tate in the lead-up to the NFL Draft has been fascinating. The conversation has gotten to a point where people are still considering the former Buckeye as the best wide receiver in the draft, but he is "not a true one because he was never able to be that in college."
As his former wide receiver coach, Brian Hartline, told Columbus radio waves earlier in the week, those who say that very simply "don't know ball."
In three years at Ohio State, Tate has 1,872 yards on just 121 catches for a staggering 15.5 yards per catch average. Those numbers were all accomplished as he played behind Marvin Harrison (5th overall pick), Emeka Egbuka (19th overall pick), and Jeremiah Smith, who may go down as the best wide receiver ever in college football.
Yes, not many people are going to be a number one wide receiver behind that group of players. However, not many people are going to be able to produce at the same level as Tate with those players in front of him, either.
In 2025, Tate was special. Had he not been injured late in the season, he would have blown his career numbers out of the water. He played in 11 of Ohio State's 13 games, finishing with 875 yards on 51 catches, good for nine touchdowns.
He scored the Buckeyes' lone touchdown against the eventual National Champions, the Indiana Hoosiers.
At the NFL level, Tate brings everything that any team could want. Sure, he doesn't have the fastest straight-line speed, but what he does have is a surgical route tree. He kills defenders with his routes, and whether he is open or not, he catches the football.
He led the country in contested catch rate in 2025, which is going to be something that is very important in the NFL. The defenders are better, and the windows are smaller. Coming down with the football in traffic is the most important thing a wide receiver can do, and luckily, it is one of Tate's best attributes.
Tate gets his chance at the next level after being the fourth pick to the Titans.
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