At almost every Power Four program in the country, Ohio State star Carnell Tate would be the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver on his team. The only places he might have competition for that title are at Arizona State (Jordyn Tyson), USC (Makai Lemon) and Ohio State (Jeremiah Smith).
Smith has been labeled as a can’t-miss prospect from the moment he played his first game at Ohio State last year — and rightfully so. Smith is clearly on track to be the WR1 in the 2027 NFL Draft and has a strong case as the best player in the sport regardless of position.
But don’t forget about Tate, who is establishing himself as the most underappreciated star in college football. Tate finished with six catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the No. 1 Buckeyes‘ 34-0 win over Wisconsin on Saturday, which marked his third game this season with at least 100 receiving yards.
Tate, a former five-star recruit from the 2023 class, was competing for targets as a freshman with a wide receiver corps that included Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming. Still, he finished the 2023 campaign with 18 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown.
During Ohio State’s run to a national title last season, Tate took a giant leap and established himself as a go-to target for quarterback Will Howard. He ended the 2024 campaign with 52 receptions for 733 yards and four touchdowns — which included catching seven passes for 87 yards against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.
This season has been a different story for Tate. Through Ohio State’s first seven games, he has caught 34 passes for 587 yards and six touchdowns — which is already a new season-high with plenty of games still to play. Despite an overall resume that may not include eye-popping numbers like some of his peers elsewhere, Tate is making the case to be one of the top wide receivers selected this spring.
In CBS Sports’ latest mock draft by Ryan Wilson, Tate is projected No. 19 overall to the Cleveland Browns. CBS Sports’ Mike Renner had Tate in Tier 1 with Tyson on the wide receiver prospect pecking order for the 2026 NFL Draft, and said he has the “makings of a high-volume X-receiver” in the NFL.
Carnell Tate might go down as one of the least-heralded top-10 picks at receiver in recent memory. Such is life when your former teammate is rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka and your current teammate is generational talent Jeremiah Smith. But Tate has all the makings of a high-volume X-receiver at the next level. His body type and smooth athleticism are more reminiscent of an NBA slasher than a traditional wideout — and that’s what makes him special.
And with the history of what Ohio State wide receivers have done at the next level, how could you not bet on the pedigree? Egbuka, who finished as Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions (205), took somewhat of a backseat role to Smith last year. Still, he finished with 81 catches for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns and would’ve been in the same position Tate is in today: The WR2 at his school, and the No. 1 almost everywhere else.
That’s why when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Egbuka to join a loaded wide receiver corps that included veteran Chris Godwin Jr. and Mike Evans, it was nothing new for him. Immediately, Egbuka has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the league as a rookie. He has 27 catches for 469 yards and five touchdowns in six games and has the second-best odds behind New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, per FanDuel, to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
What Egbuka has done so far could be Tate’s reality one day. It doesn’t matter that he’s technically Ohio State’s “WR2” because he is capable of being the No. 1 option on any given Saturday — and the top option on a team on Sundays one day. Any program would be lucky to have Smith or Tate on their roster. It just so happens that Ohio State has both. It’s part of the reason why the Buckeyes are currently the clear favorite (+280) to win the national title.
Tate, unlike Smith, had to wait his turn to be the guy at Ohio State. So did Egbuka, Harrison, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson and other former Buckeyes who are now among the best players at the position in the NFL. The future for Tate is bright, and he is someone worthy of the title as one of the best and most underappreciated players in the sport.
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