Titans Draft Ohio State Wide Receiver Carnell Tate 4th Overall

The Tennessee Titans wasted no time giving Cam Ward his new wide receiver, surprisingly drafting Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

The expectation was for the Titans to select a defensive player, given they hired Robert Saleh as the new head coach, whose specialty is defense, but they decided to surround Ward with an elite playmaker.

Tate is one of six Ohio State receivers to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft this decade, but Tate became the first receiver drafted in the top five (excluding Travis Hunter) since the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Ja’Marr Chase fifth overall in 2021.

The crazy thing about Tate going fourth overall is that he wasn’t even the best wide receiver on Ohio State, and two years ago, he was arguably the third-best on the team, playing with Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

Tate was still super productive, and his talent was undeniable, catching 51 passes for 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in his junior season.

The Titans have high expectations for Tate, as he immediately becomes the team’s number one wide receiver and offensive weapon after having one of the weakest wide receiver rooms in the NFL last season.