Soon-to-be-former Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Carnell Tate did enough during his three years in Columbus to be trusted in a massive role during his rookie season. That's what The Athletic's Jesse Newell believes, anyway.
Per Newell, "A sneaky need for the Chiefs is at receiver. Too often last year, they were in need of an outside receiver who could create route separation and be a contested-catch option. Tate would be a welcome addition."
You can never look too far into a player's fit with a specific team at No. 9, especially when several teams in front of the Kansas City Chiefs, like the New York Jets at No. 2 and New Orleans Saints at No. 8, could also use a receiver. You could absolutely look at the expectations some have for Tate at the next level.
Sometimes, players who dominated in College Football are expected to become depth pieces in the NFL. Tate is expected to translate as smoothly to stardom as possible, while also doing so on teams with Super Bowl ambitions. Patrick Mahomes' successful return to the Chiefs could be enough, with an upgraded starting WR-X, to get KC back into Super Bowl conversations. To be able to get that in Tate in the draft over a pricey trade or free agent is massive for an already expensive Chiefs roster.
With other teams presumably operating in the same camp, since the Saints may have something with Tyler Shough and could also be a few upgrades away from competing in a weak NFC South, Tate has arrived as a name to know in the NFL before even playing a snap.
Who knows? Maybe the Cleveland Browns will believe they have their franchise signal-caller in Shedeur Sanders and draft the Chicago native at No. 6 to keep his talent in-state and give the "Grown QB" his top target moving forward.
Carnell Tate lived in Jeremiah Smith's shadow at Ohio State
Tate never got his due because he played with a generational receiver in Jeremiah Smith for two years. Smith's orbit of attention was greater than anyone else Tate ever played with, but that didn't slow Tate down from getting his due with NFL scouts watching intently.
Ryan Day and the Ohio State machine, operated by Mark Pantoni and financed by Lex Wesner, helped Tate out through it all. Most knew that the Buckeyes had WR1s up and down the roster, with room for only one to hold that mantle. Tate was closer to Smith's WR1A than he was a WR2, though. He often was on the receiving end of some of Julian Sayin's most spectacular deep-balls.
Luckily for Tate, he's part of a draft class that's deep on receiver talent, but doesn't have a more obvious franchise-changer than himself.
The chance to be a household name in a way he couldn't be in Columbus is right in front of him.