PITTSBURGH, Penn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Titans sent shockwaves around the NFL Draft by selecting Carnell Tate with the No. 4 overall pick Thursday night.
Ohio State defensive stars Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles were sitting there, but the Titans went with another Buckeye star -- a wide out – to build around Cam Ward, last year’s no. 1 overall selection.
But maybe the pick shouldn’t be a surprise. The Titans needed to give weapons to Ward, and picking an Ohio State star receiver is about as close to a sure thing as there is in the NFL Draft. The school has become the modern-day “Wide Receiver U”, producing such NFL stars as Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave and Emeka Egbuka in recent years.
Tate was teammates with many of those guys in Columbus, learning how to practice and compete at the highest level.
“All those guys paved the way for me to follow,” Tate said after getting selected. “I’m forever grateful to those guys, just seeing how their game is able to transfer over.”
Now he tries to follow in their footsteps in the NFL and prove he can be a No. 1 wide receiver. Tate will join a wide receiver room with veteran Calvin Ridley and free agent Wan’Dale Robinson. But he said repeatedly at Wednesday’s Draft media session that he believes he’s the best receiver in this class and is ready to show what he can do.
“I bring everything to the table,” Tate said. “Whether that’s running, going deep, catching the ball, just getting open. I’m a complete player.”
Tate helped Ohio State win a national championship as a sophomore two years ago. He stepped into a bigger role last season, catching 52 balls despite missing three games to injury.
He’s known for his ability to run good routes, get open and make tough catches. He had a contested catch completion rate of nearly 70 percent last season.
But he will also bring a much-needed big-play ability to the Titans' offense. He averaged 17.2 yards per catch for the Buckeyes last year and had nine touchdowns.
“I’m ready to go play fast and violent and earn the trust of that organization,” Tate said. “Going out there and making plays and being a reliable target for the organization.”
And he will do it all in tribute to his late mother, Ashley, who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in west Chicago in 2023. Tate wore his mom’s name on the inside lining of his jacket on Draft night and honors her on the field by blowing a kiss in her direction after each of his touchdown catches.
It’s a touching tribute to the woman who raised him, and one Titans fans hope to see a lot from Tate in the years to come.
