Drafted fourth overall, the Ohio State standout is primed for a 1,000-yard breakout. Analysts expect his elite route-running to transform Tennessee’s offense into a dangerous deep-threat powerhouse.
The Tennessee Titans banked on the potential of Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate when they selected him at No. 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He learned a lot from his time at Ohio State. He played behind the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming as a true freshman.
Tate even got experience in the slot after Egbuka went down with an injury that sidelined him for a few games that season.
Once Egbuka departed for the NFL, Tate received a much bigger role in the offense. Tate was the No. 2 wideout on Ohio State last season, sitting behind Jeremiah Smith.
His elite route tree and limited drops in college are what set him apart. He will get a chance to prove he deserves to be a No. 1 WR in the NFL with the Titans.
Predictions are already starting to be made about how the top rookies will perform in their first NFL seasons. ESPN's Mike Clay predicted who would lead rookies in rushing yards, receiving yards, and other stats.
For Tate, he was predicted to lead all rookie receivers and have a 1,000-yard campaign in 2026.
Clay had Tate finishing with 1,065 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
"It's a small sample, but 12 of the 16 wideouts produced at least 865 yards," Clay said. "The 13 receivers on the list who appeared in at least 14 games averaged a hefty 25% target share (Rome Odunze's 19% was the lowest). History tells us Tate and Tyson will be very busy and productive as rookies."
Titans fans would love it if Tate does anything close to that as a rookie. This franchise hasn't had a deep threat like Tate in the receiver room since the days of A.J. Brown.
Tate is expected to start alongside Calvin Ridley and Wan'Dale Robinson. Ridley is going to be on the outside, with Robinson's specialty being in the slot.
The young receiver has potential to make plays as a deep threat with a promising young quarterback like Cam Ward throwing him the ball. We saw just how lethal Ward's arm is at various points like season against the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.
Now, Ward has more weapons to throw to in Tate and Robinson.
It's a dream scenario for the rookie, but fans would also be happy if the Titans can climb out of the 3-14 hole that they've been in for the last two years.
With Robert Saleh as head coach and Mike Borgonzi as General Manager, the franchise will try to right the ship as it leans heavily on rookies like Tate.
