Beyond his dynamic route-running and deep-threat speed, Tennessee’s first-round pick honors his late mother’s legacy by selecting a jersey number that carries profound personal and franchise weight.
The Tennessee Titans drafted Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate fourth overall.
It was a pick that was scrutinized, with his former teammates Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese still on the board at the time. However, this follows what General Manager Mike Borgonzi said at the NFL Owners Meetings a few months ago.
The Titans were committed to taking the best player available, and in this case, it was absolutely Tate after Jeremiyah Love went No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals.
He has a lot of experience on the outside, but spent time at slot receiver as well at Ohio State after Emeka Egbuka suffered an injury during Tate's freshman year.
The Titans haven't had a true deep threat in the receiving room for quite some time, and Tate gives them that. He has a good chance of being a true No. 1 WR with his excellent route tree.
He'll pair up with Calvin Ridley and Wan'Dale Robinson.
Before the 2026 season began, all the rookies got to pick their numbers. Tate chose No. 14, Faulk had No. 15, Anthony Hill Jr. picked Keith Bulluck's old number No. 53, Fernando Carmona is No. 66, Nicholas Singleton is No. 32, Jackie Marshall is No. 96, Pat Coogan chose No. 79 and Jaren Kanak is No. 47.
For Titans fans, they know just how special that number 53 is. Bulluck wore that number during his time in Nashville, ending as the franchise's third all-time leader in solo tackles (790) and fourth in TFLs (61).
For Tate, the number 14 has plenty of significance on a personal level as well. November 14th is the day that his late mother was born. Tate's mother, Ashley Griggs, was killed in a drive-by shooting in June of 2023, and the number honors her memory.
As fate would have it, Tate was taken by the Titans in Round 1, Pick 4.
Tate was actually considering buying the No. 17 at first from fellow receiver Chimere Dike, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. However, after realizing that No. 14 was available, the decision was easy.
Tate joins the Titans after being the No. 2 receiver at Ohio State behind Jeremiah Smith. This was a topic of discussion among fans who didn't believe Tate was ready to be an NFL No. 1 WR because of it.
We saw a similar situation not too long ago with former Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who played slot in college. He went to the Seattle Seahawks, and sat behind D.K. Metcalf as a rookie, but then led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards last season.
No matter what role Tate has with the Titans, he'll be honoring his mother with the No. 14. A heartfelt sentiment to an influential figure in his life.