Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate is linked to the NFL dynasty, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Whichever franchise drafts former Ohio State Buckeye Carnell Tate is going to be selecting one of the best talents in the entire 2026 NFL Draft class.
Tate has a rare combination of incredible hands, unlimited IQ, great athleticism, surgical attention to detail, and a level of compete that is hard to match. He immediately will make any wide receiver room better; the only question is, which one?
There are a couple of teams that Tate likely has circled about teams he wants to go to. Wide receivers have the unfortunate reality that their success is determined by their quarterback.
With the way that the 2025 season fell, Tate probably wants to fall beyond pick No. 8i7. If he can get there, he is going to be a New Orleans Saint, a Cincinnati Bengal, or a Kansas City Chief. If any of those selections come to fruition, Tate is going to be sitting pretty.
Over the weekend, Tate was linked to the best of that bunch, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City has been craving that true No. 1 wide receiver threat since they traded away Tyreek Hill in 2022. Since then, they have filtered in several different players to try to fill that role, but no one has taken the spot over.
Thanks to having one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, that fact hasn't halted them in their pursuit of Super Bowls. Patrick Mahomes, when healthy, has not let the team lose a step. Immediately post-Hill, the Chiefs won the 2023 Super Bowl before losing the 2024 Super Bowl to the Eagles.
They missed the Playoffs in 2025 because of Mahomes' ACL injury.
Just because Mahomes has continued to get it done doesn't mean he couldn't use a little bit of help.
Since Hill, Mahomes top targets have been Travis Kelce, Justin Watson, Rashee Rice, DeAndre Hopkins, Noah Gray, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown. If you take Kelce off that list, those names leave a lot to be desired.
That is a bad collection of wide receivers, and the Chiefs could use a major update.
Tate would be exactly that.
In college, Tate had to play second fiddle to both Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, but he still put together incredibly productive years. Last year, Tate missed four games but still notched 51 catches, 857 yards and nine touchdowns.
If he is lucky enough to land in Kansas City, he will make Chiefs fans very happy for years to come.
Buckeye Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Ohio State Buckeyes. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.