Carnell Tate’s Madden 27 promo offers another reminder why Titans ignored draft doubters of Ohio State’s latest star WR
Tennessee Titans rookie stud WR Carnell Tate may have given his doubters something to chew on in this Madden 27 promo.
Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate joined former NFL quarterback and content creator Kirk Benkert for a Madden 27 promo video this week, and the one-minute Instagram clip took us a layer or two deeper into the mind of the 4th overall pick.
Tate, the Ohio State product Tennessee selected to be its No. 1 receiver for QB Cam Ward, was asked by Benkert to draw up his “gotta have it” play for the last snap of the game.
His answer, and everything around it, should give Titans fans even more reason to believe in what they saw during OTAs and minicamp practices.
Tate walked Benkert through a three receiver, one tight end, one running back route concept. It included a pre-snap motion on the left side where the outside receiver moves inside the slot to run a corner/return route combo. On the right side (backside, Tate says) of the formation, the tight end goes vertical up the seem, the WR on the right runs a post variation from a tight split. Finally, the running back goes to the flats for a checkdown option.
Benkert’s follow-up question is really what took this from just a Madden promo to a look inside the mind of the Titans rookie.
“Where are you gonna put yourself? Short motion to the corner?” Benkert asked.
“I’m going short motion to the corner. One to two (in the formation), first read right there.” Tate responded without hesitation.
That matters. Tate spent the last two years at Ohio State playing next to Jeremiah Smith, who might be the best wide receiver draft prospect this sport has seen since Calvin Johnson came out of Georgia Tech over 15 years ago. And yet Tate, without hesitation, put himself in the role of primary target on the most important play of the game.
Tate’s “first-read” mentality blasts the biggest knock on him
The “never been a No. 1” narrative is the loudest criticism Tate faces.
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, the former 5th overall pick out of LSU, was vocal in his instant reaction to Tate being drafted that high after never being the primary option in college.
I think a lot of people disagreed with what Nabers said, but there are plenty of Tate doubters who still question his ability to be a true No. 1 wideout when he hasn’t done it before.
I think that’s crazy. The evidence against the argument is sitting right in front of us. Brian Thomas Jr. was a first-round pick out of LSU the same year Nabers came out, went to Jacksonville, and went well over 1,000 yards as a rookie. Justin Jefferson is arguably a top-2, top-3 receiver in the game and was not the No. 1 option in college. Ja’Marr Chase, Jefferson’s LSU teammate, is right there with him as a top-1 or top-2 NFL receiver.
Tate viewing himself as the go-to option on the last play of a game tells you everything about his mindset. That confidence is real.
Tate’s intangible feel for the position is what separates him
At the end of the video, Benkert asked Tate how he sets himself up to create space on a corner route in the back of the end zone. Tate’s answer showed off his spatial awareness and his intangible understanding of the position.
He doesn’t have elite measurables. He ran a 4.53 or 4.54 40-yard dash. His vertical leap, shuttle times, and explosive testing numbers are not elite for a 4th overall pick. But he just gets it.
“When you get to the back end zone, the most important thing is just being aware how much space you got back there,” Tate said. “You don’t want to run yourself out of bounds, but then you also want to give yourself space to catch the ball and also land in bounds. Get your feet in.”
That was evident watching Tate during OTA and minicamp practices with the Titans. It’s not about how fast he can run. It’s about how he manipulates defenders, how he uses his body to create space, and how his natural hands make difficult catches look routine.
There’s one thing I forgot to mention while at Tate’s fan event with Snickers ice cream at the Kroger in Brentwood last week. Getting to shake Carnell Tate’s hand and chat with him a little off the record, I can confirm his hands are legitimately huge.
A one-minute Instagram promo video for a video game probably shouldn’t tell us this much about a rookie. But Tate’s confidence, his feel for the position, and the way he naturally slots himself into the No. 1 role on the biggest play of the game say a lot about where his head is heading into his first NFL season.