The Tennessee Titans selected Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tate is expected to enhance the Titans' passing attack alongside quarterback Cam Ward.
Tennessee Titans draft Carnell Tate, star Ohio State WR. What Titans are getting
The Tennessee Titans are investing in the latest star from the closest thing college football has to a sure-thing factory.
With the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Titans selected Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate on April 23 in Pittsburgh, pairing QB Cam Ward with his new No. 1 receiver and reshaping the Titansā passing attack. Tate is the latest receiver to come off the Buckeyesā ever-expanding prospect assembly line, and the Titans are hoping Tate can follow in the footsteps of recent standouts including Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, , , , and Egbuka.
Carnell Tate plays as a wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans.
In 2025, Carnell Tate caught 48 passes for 838 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Tennessee Titans drafted Carnell Tate, a wide receiver from Ohio State, with the No. 4 pick.
Carnell Tate has drawn comparisons to notable Ohio State wide receivers like Chris Olave and Davante Adams.
Arvell Reese, a standout linebacker from Ohio State, was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He was the first defender from Ohio State to be chosen this year.
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At 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, Tate has drawn comparisons to everyone from Olave to Davante Adams and CeeDee Lamb. He caught 48 passes for 838 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025 while sharing a room with future top-five pick Jeremiah Smith, and caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns in 2024 while splitting time with Smith and Egbuka.
When the ball came Tateās way, though, he made about as much out of his opportunities as anyone can. Tate caught 75% of his targets across three years of college, including a 69% catch rate on contested throws. In 2025, Tate caught 12 of the 14 contested balls thrown his direction and Ohio State passers posted a rating of 151.8 out of a possible 158.3 when throwing to Tate.
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Donāt forget this simple axiom: An investment in Tate is an investment in Ward. After a busy offseason that mostly consisted of improving the Titansā defensive floor, Tate is a step toward raising the offensive ceiling.
Valid questions exist about whether Tate is a true No. 1 receiver prospect or just the No. 1 receiver prospect in a class that doesnāt feature a JaāMarr Chase type player. But for a Titans franchise thatās whiffed on so many receivers since the baffling A.J. Brown trade, Tateās steadiness is a strong draw. Heās a dominant deep threat, especially against man coverage, who also thrives on intermediate routes and is a consistent yards after catch threat.
Ward ranked last among qualified NFL passers in yards per attempt and second-worst in passer rating as a rookie, struggling in part because he lacked a true No. 1 on the perimeter.
Between Tate, Calvin Ridley and WanāDale Robinson, the Titans project to have three bona fide starting receivers in 2026, which is three more than they had for most of the 2025 season. Second-year receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor should still factor into the rotation, as can third-year wideout Bryce Oliver, but this pick essentially takes the top half of the Titansā receiver room from Wardās rookie year and makes it the bottom half of the room for Year 2.
Ridley and Ward never really developed a strong rapport in 2025, and thereāll be plenty of projecting necessary to see how Ridley fits in offensive coordinator Brian Dabollās offense and how healthy he is coming off a leg injury. Still, his unique game speed is a rare asset. Couple that with Robinsonās navigability in the slot as a short-yardage maven and Tateās mastery of possession receiver traits and the Titans have the ability to win in all three levels so long as Wardās throwing the ball accurately and on time.
Wardās progress is a key cog in this equation, obviously. But good quarterback play and healthy receiving depth often go hand-in-hand. Think of Tate as the same kind of investment that JaāMarr Chase was for Joe Burrow. Picking Tate means more than betting on a No. 1 receiver; it means betting on a No. 1 receiver whoāll mature into his prime alongside your quarterback of the future.
The Titans entered the draft with nine picks, including multiple selections in the fifth and sixth rounds. The Titans own the No. 35 pick in the second round and the No. 66 in the third round. Those are the third and second picks in those rounds, respectively.
Some of the Titansā top needs include edge defender, wide receiver, guard, center and defensive back.
The Titans went 3-14 in 2025, their second consecutive season finishing with just three wins and their fourth season in a row missing the postseason.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkinā Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans draft Carnell Tate, Ohio State WR. Can he be Cam Ward's Ja'Marr Chase?