COLUMBUS, Ohio — The NFL Draft is a predictable beast in many ways — star quarterbacks go early, flashy playmakers follow and dominant pass rushers never wait long. But Carnell Tate is about to shatter that conventional wisdom.
How does a receiver who was never the primary option on his own college team suddenly become the projected first receiver taken in the NFL Draft? That’s the question the Buckeye Talk podcast crew tackled in their latest episode, and their analysis reveals why Tate’s journey might be the ultimate Ohio State recruiting pitch.
“I don’t think anyone’s shocked that he’s projected as a first-rounder, but to be a guy who throughout your time at the collegiate level was never, wide receiver one on your own team and to now be wide receiver one taken in your draft, I think it is pretty fascinating,” co-host Stefan Krajisnik said.
The numbers don’t scream “top-10 pick” at first glance. Tate finished the 2025 season with 51 catches, 875 yards and nine touchdowns. For his career: 121 catches, 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns. He never had more than 900 receiving yards in a single season and only recorded five games with more than 90 yards.
Yet the mock draft consensus has him as the No. 7 overall player.
Stephen Means noted: “Carnell Tate, of the guys that’s going to be on this run of first round draft picks... is he the ultimate version of, ‘The tape says something very different than whatever the box score is going to tell you?’”
The answer seems to be a resounding yes. NFL scouts see what the statistics can’t capture — the elite route running, the sideline awareness, the high-point catches and the hands that the Buckeye Talk crew called “maybe the best in college football.”
Tate’s journey represents a new paradigm for elite recruits. You don’t need to be the focal point of an offense to showcase NFL-caliber skills. You don’t need to demand 15 targets per game to prove your worth. And at Ohio State, you can thrive despite sharing the spotlight with other first-round talents like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith.
“This to me should be on every Ohio State recruiting manual ever: Carnell Tate’s career,” Andrew Gillis said. “It’s like — you can come here... and even if you’re not the No. 1, you are still going to be thought of in such a regard that you’re a top 10 pick and you’re maybe the No. 1 receiver off the board.”
Check out the latest Buckeye Talk episode where the crew dives deeper into Ohio State’s 11 NFL Combine invitees and analyzes which Buckeyes have the most to gain during the testing process.
Here’s the podcast for this week: