Future NFL Hall of Famer compares Ohio State’s Carnell Tate to star WR on pace to make first Pro Bowl in 2025
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the midst of a tremendous offensive season that might produce their first Heisman Trophy winner since 2006. While Ryan Day and his Buckeyes are dominating their way through the regular season, his offense is gaining accolades, helping him flip top recruits, and build a stronger NFL pipeline. One of […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the midst of a tremendous offensive season that might produce their first Heisman Trophy winner since 2006. While Ryan Day and his Buckeyes are dominating their way through the regular season, his offense is gaining accolades, helping him flip top recruits, and build a stronger NFL pipeline. One of this season’s winners is Carnell Tate.
Tate has 39 receptions, 711 yards, and seven touchdowns in his first season as the team’s No. 2 receiver behind Jeremiah Smith. He leads the Big Ten with 18.2 yards per catch and has become an elite deep ball and big play threat. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder has become a top-10 projection in our most recent 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
Tate’s been so hot that future NFL Hall of Fame receiver Steve Smith compared him to a surging young NFL stud. See more below.
Steve Smith compares Carnell Tate to George Pickens
Smith explained on his 89 podcast that Tate is a faster version of Pickens, who is already quite a good player. Pickens is surging in his first season with the Dallas Cowboys, catching 49 passes for 764 yards and six scores in nine games. He’s already set a career-high in touchdowns for a season and is averaging 17 more yards a catch than his previous high.
“He does a really good job deep and intermediate,” Smith began. “That is his game. Long strider…90% of his work is done outside. Attacks the ball. Here’s my comparison, as soon as I saw him…A faster version of George Pickens. On the sideline, he will go get the football just like George Pickens. No catch is uncatchable for him.”
Smith then added what the worst thing a defender can do against Tate is, and it’s quite funny with his anecdote.
“The worst thing a cornerback can do is go ahead and give this man some space. You give this man some space and he will eat it up like Cookie Monster with a jar full of cookies…The further the corner is off, the better the route seems to be.”
Smith also ranked Tate quite low on his top five receivers list, but that might have to do with him preferring smaller and shiftier options, and being really high on others, more than a knock against Tate.
