Carnell Tate

● Tall, lithe athlete with outstanding body length ● Fluid off the line and quickly attacks leverage of the coverage ● Top-end speed on film is better than stopwatch time ● Comfortably adjusts and extends to make confident catches outside frame ● Terrific hand/finger strength to high point and protect the ball, allowing him to finish through contact ● Proficient on 50-50 balls (caught 12 of 14 contested targets in 2025) ● Crafty route runner, especially on vertical planes to stem double moves or sell stops/comebacks ● Proven downfield threat — No. 2 in the FBS with nine catches of 40-plus yards in 2025 ● Averaged 32.5 yards per touchdown reception in 2025 ● Uses detailed route steps and body control to sink and turn better than most his size ● Elite sideline awareness and balance to toe tap or use his length to bring throws back ● Adept at slipping past press; quickly gains upper hand ● Productive, despite never being WR1 (one of just 15 FBS receivers with 1,600-plus receiving yards and 13-plus touchdown grabs the past two seasons)

● Drew a lot of one-on-one coverage because of Jeremiah Smith’s gravitational pull ● Lean-muscled and can stand to add more bulk to his frame ● Average speed and suddenness for the position by NFL standards ● Marginal run-after-catch threat if not given a runway (won’t force many missed tackles) ● Leggy at times getting off press and can be hemmed by long-armed jams ● Wasn’t asked to do a lot of underneath dirty work over the middle ● Missed three games as a junior because of a leg injury (Nov. 2025)

A two-year starter at Ohio State, Tate was an outside receiver (88.9 percent of snaps aligned wide) in former offensive coordinator Brian Hartline’s pro-style, balanced scheme. Playing in a program full of NFL receiving talent, he teased his ability as a freshman and was a solid contributor as a sophomore before emerging as a junior as one of college football’s best pass catchers. Tate caught 77.3 percent of his targets in 2025, best among the 183 FBS receivers with an average depth of target of 12 yards or more. Thanks to his tall, angular frame, Tate eats up ground with long strides and uses gear changes to establish leverage or create vertical separation. He has only average snap out of breaks, but wins more with pacing and body control than suddenness. He tracks with a sense of calm when the ball is in the air and skillfully syncs his movements and catch-point adjustments. He climbs the ladder with ease, and the ball doesn’t move when it hits his hands (among the 168 FBS receivers with at least 66 targets in 2025, Tate was one of only four who didn’t register a drop). Overall, Tate is a long, technically proficient receiver who can win at all three levels using 83 Back to table of contents -- 87 of 629 -- high-level tracking/adjustment skills and catching radius. He projects as an immediate NFL starting Z with Pro Bowl upside.