Daniel Jeremiyah and Todd McShay hint at latest intel projecting WR Carnell Tate as a bigger possibility for the Titans than fans might think

Could the Titans take Carnell Tate at 4? I won’t rule it out entirely. And neither will Daniel Jeremiah or Todd McShay based on what they’re hearing…

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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Nov 1, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) catches a long pass during the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

I’m old enough to remember back to Scouting Combine week this February when Tennessee Titans fans all but wrote Ohio State WR Carnell Tate out of the picture entirely at 4th overall. As is the case with most all draft cycles, it’s very easy to speak too soon on players’ fates.

With a dwindling matter of days until draft weekend is finally upon us, two leading members of the draft industry dropped some intel on Tate that Titans fans need to put on their radars.

Carnell Tate top-5 draft hype is getting louder

I have never been nearly as anti-Tate at five as many Titans fans have become. Call me crazy for liking the idea of the next pro-ready WR model to come off the assembly line from Ohio State! As far as predicting the odds of him joining the Titans, my latest official percentage can be found here. Spoiler: it’s not a big one.

But when NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah went on ESPN’s Mina Kimes’ podcast this week, he had this to say about Tate that made me consider if I’ve got his odds set too long:

“I think he’s in play, like, at 2. I think that conversation, that he’s entertained at 2… I mean I just think there’s a lot of Tate supporters out there. There’s a lot of people that need a receiver. If… look, I’ll say this: if Tate was 205 pounds instead of 192 pounds and he ran 4.42 instead of 4.53, I think he there’s a real chance he’s the second pick in the draft”

Now, plenty of people on social media clowned Jeremiah for the way he said this. So we’re just saying Tate would be a higher pick if he was a more attractive player than he is? Ok, what in the world is your point here Daniel?

What he means, I think rather obviously, is that teams and scouts love the guy beyond his height and track speed measurement. There is, in fact, so so much that goes into scouting these players that is deeper than a couple of rudimentary numbers! What he’s saying here is that if he was marginally more attractive on these fronts, he would be a player teams would find it real easy to wrap their arms around as high at second overall. There are many receiving prospects that come through at 205lbs and can run a 4.4 who aren’t even remotely considered that highly!

The Ringer’s Todd McShay doubled down on this on his own podcast this week, making Tate as a top-5 pick one of his “Don’t be surprised if” topics for the week.

“Based off of my conversations with people in the league,” McShay began, “don’t be surprised if Sonny Styles and Carnell Tate both go in the top five. It’s different when you sit back and listen to people in the league You can hear in the inflection the tone. There’s no yea, but’s.”

McShay even emphasized some of the same measurement points Jeremiah made.

“He had zero drops. His contested (catches) went from the 50s to the 80s. Percentile, not percent. It’s not a 50-50 ball. It’s like an 86-14 ball for him. No, he’s not 210lbs. He’s not a 4.41s (speed guy). But he’s the only one where it’s like, yeah, I can’t get that (later)… When I have conversations with people in the league, It’s different.”

So where exactly in the top 5 could he end up?

“I look at like the Jets, they aren’t totally out of it,” McShay explained. “Like, I don’t think so, but like five percent? I don’t think it’s Arizona. But then I look at it… could it be Tennessee? You know, it could be it could be Tennessee. Could it be the Giants at five? It could be, yeah… Just keep an eye on that, because when I have conversations, It’s very clear that certain guys love him.”

The urge to add an offensive weapon for Cam Ward is strong. And I personally think Tate’s profile is being overly-dinged because the consideration is a top 5 pick, the kind of WR swing that we’re used to seeing with only truly incredible standout prospects. Tate is boring in some of the best ways, and in a class universally panned for it’s lack of blue chip talent at the top, I won’t sniff at anybody taking him that high. The Titans included.

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