Carnell Tate 2026 Prospect Profile

The draft eligible Ohio State WR

Today, we look at the third head of Ohio State’s 2024 receiving hydra, Carnell Tate, the one with the least hype. Sadly, I think that his reputation is earned, but that should not be taken as a slight on a prospect who, in his own right, looks to offer an intriguing package to the NFL.

Background

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Carnell Tate was always seen as a potential football star. He attended his first two years of high school at Marist High School, a Catholic all-boys prep school in Chicago, before transferring to sports hotbed IMG Academy for his junior and senior years. He continued to excel in football and ended up, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, as the 41st overall player and a four-star recruit. However, competing rankings from 247 and Rivals had Tate pegged as a top-5 WR in the class and a five-star recruit. After a competitive recruiting process, Tate chose to attend Ohio State before he started his senior year at IMG. Sadly, before he ever got to step on the field, on July 16th, 2023, Tate’s Mother was tragically killed in a shooting in Chicago. Since then, every time Tate scores a TD, he blows a kiss up towards the sky to honor his Mother.

Physical Attributes

Tate is a tall and lanky receiver. He is 6’3” tall and 191 lbs. Unlike some taller receivers, he utilizes his frame effectively. With his long arms, he makes aggressive plays on the ball that help him win out over DBs trying to cover him. He is not the fastest or most agile receiver in the world, but he is not severely lacking in those areas either. One of my favorite aspects of his game is that he appears to move faster with the ball in his hands than he does without it. Tate also uses his size to be an excellent blocker from the WR position as well.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my WR radar charts, you can find more information here

It is a bit difficult to profile Tate becuase of how much production was sucked up by Emeka Egbuka and Jermiah Smith. Those are two first-round receivers, and in Smith’s case, a truly generational prospect. With only one ball to go around, it was inevitable that Tate would eat the least. Although having those two players on the field at the same time as Tate allows us to begin to see what his best use might be in the NFL.

Tate is a drive extender and drive finisher. Of his 42 receptions, 31 resulted in either a first down or a touchdown, a truly ludicrous rate. Not only that, but he consistently did the dirty work in the Buckeye offense: Lining up out wide on a majority of his snaps, he faced other teams’ best DBs and ran routes to occupy the defense so the stars could get theirs. That leaves Tate in this weird projection of either a true modern X receiver or more of a “sacrificial X,” like the role he often played at Ohio State.

The most significant part of his game going against him is his ability to get open against man coverage. He struggles to shake defenders playing tightly against him when running any route. He makes up for this with excellent contested catch ability, but that is not something you want to have to rely on consistently. He takes a long time to get in and out of any breaks and looks slow at the top of his routes. His performance against press coverage also left something to be desired.

Tate does have this innate ability to find spots in zone coverage. This is not something you can often find in someone playing at 19 years old during a season. He will identify where defenders are quickly, and show for his QB. These are frequently on essential plays where he is found for the first down or TD, keeping drives alive and scoring points.

Grade and Outlook

Overall, I am a fan of Carnell Tate’s game. I do not think he is an outright sacrificial X, and that he has shown enough to suggest that he should be taken seriously as a genuine X. Though his lack of agility and speed hinder him against man coverage. I hope he improves that part of his game this year. Tate will come into the NFL and help offenses tick over by getting open for first downs and grabbing tough, contested TDs, but that is a specific (if still good) player, and not an all-around superstar.

Grade: 5.4 (2nd round)