Titans Starting to See Big Return on Carnell Tate Pick

Not everyone was a fan of the Tennessee Titans' decision to select Carnell Tate with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

People wondered why the Titans didn't go for a defensive player instead. Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles were available at the time. 

General Manager Mike Borgonzi blocked out the noise and followed through on what he said at the NFL Owners' Meetings. The plan was to take the best player available. The franchise believed Tate was the best option and went with him. 

It was a slow start for Tate. 

He had 38 receiving yards in the season opener. He was used a little less in Week 2, ending the day with 27 receiving yards. In Week 3, you could feel that a breakout game was coming. Tate had 58 receiving yards, but the Titans couldn't get him the ball as much due to the rainy conditions. 

Then, it finally happened against the Baltimore Ravens. Time and time again, Tate was open, and Cam Ward targeted him early and often. 

Tate led the team with 145 receiving yards. 

He then had a down game against the Houston Texans. It wasn't necessarily his fault because the Titans' offense struggled to stop the Texans' pass rush. 

Tate showed that his breakout against the Ravens wasn't just a fluke on Sunday. He had 80 receiving yards and one touchdown. His touchdown catch tied the game at 13 and helped the Titans' comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts. 

Tate made several impressive plays when the Titans needed them most. 

Robert Saleh has loved what he's seen from Tate so far. On Monday's Zoom call, the head coach stated that Tate looks like a top-five pick.

He specifically liked a first-quarter play in which Tate caught a pass on an under route and got upfield for extra yards. 

"He just looked like a top-five pick," Saleh said. "That play in particular is just giving me, giving all of us signs that he's trending in the right direction with regard to the game slowing down. He's getting faster. He's understanding what's being asked out of him to catch the ball, catch, run, get vertical with violence. Tells us that he's understanding and understanding the message and working at what he needs to work at. That play alone, like, you can just do a whole dissertation on that play alone, and the confidence that he's building and the trust that he's developing with the quarterback." 

We've seen this connection grow between Cam Ward and Tate in the last few weeks. It started in the New York Giants game and came to fruition against the Ravens. It took him a few weeks, but Tate is showing that the Titans made the right decision by taking him at No. 4 overall back in April. 

Tate is only going to get better as the season goes on. For those who had doubts about whether Tate could be a No. 1 WR in the NFL, they may want to rethink their opinion of him.