Carnell Tate surprised many, even himself a bit, when he was selected No. 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, being the first Ohio State player taken in the draft. It wasn't because of a deficit in talent, but many believed that linebacker Arvell Reese was a lock to be the first Buckeye taken.
It was known that the Titans were interested in running back Jeremiyah Love, but the Notre Dame star was taken with the No. 3 pick by the Arizona Cardinals, and it seems Tennessee still wanted an offensive player, going with Tate.
Former LSU wide receiver and current New York Giants player, Malik Nabers, was live during the first round of the NFL Draft, commenting on the picks and had something to say about the Tate selection. Nabers believed Tate was too high a selection for not being a true No. 1 receiver in college.
Emeka Egbuka is a perfect example that Carnell Tate can succeed in Tennessee
Emeka Egbuka CLAPS BACK at Malik Nabers after he said Carnell Tate was never a WR1 in college 👀
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) May 7, 2026
“That was the same talk about me when I was coming out of the draft... It's all semantics." 😁 pic.twitter.com/tqB2kf3mIs
Tate is not the first Ohio State wide receiver who wasn't the true No. 1 in college to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Just one year earlier, Buckeyes receiver Emeka Egbuka was taken with the No. 19 pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and put together a dream rookie season.
Egbuka was not the No. 1 receiver at Ohio State; that was clearly star Jeremiah Smith, but that didn't mean he couldn't be a great player in the NFL. Egbuka joined Kay Adams on 'Up and Adams' and subtly clapped back at Nabers comments about Tate, saying it doesn't matter at the NFL level.
"That was the same talk about me when I was coming out of the draft," Egbuka said. "It's all semantics."
For Tate, Smith was the WR1 this past season as well, but that didn't mean the new Titans receiver wasn't a big part of the offense as well. Tate finished the 2025 season with 51 receptions, 875 yards, and nine touchdowns, and that was with missing a few games due to injury late in the season.
Tate has the talent that Egbuka did to be a great receiver in his rookie season, and Nabers may want to focus more on his own professional career. Nabers is coming off an ACL tear in the 2025 NFL season and should put more focus on that than worrying about the type of career Tate will have in Tennessee.
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