Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, the top wide receiver of the 2026 draft class, might be one of the best Buckeyes to enter the draft in the past few years. Maybe even better than New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave.
What's interesting is that while Tate is expected to be the first receiver off the board this year, he was never the main target in Columbus. First working behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Ebuka, and then Jeremiah Smith, Tate still managed to impress NFL scouts and football fans. Despite not taking the lead, ESPN's Matt Miller said he ranks higher as a prospect than the current WR1 in New Orleans. He even has Tate listed higher than Ebuka.
One of the darlings of the draft, Tate's ability to high-point the ball and climb the air has impressed many across the NFL, helping bring all 32 teams to Ohio State's pro day. Even Saints head coach Kellen Moore was in attendance, and he wasn't the only one there from the Saints organization.
Saints could pair up Carnell Tate with his former teammate
Kellen Moore said to Kay Adams on the Up and Adams show that he's been watching the receiver. "He's obviously one of the top ones (WRs) in this draft," He said to Adams. "We know that anytime you get a guy from Ohio State, as we know with Chris Olave, you're going to get a good football player. He's performed really well."
Tate is a player that has been mocked to the Saints multiple times, most recently by ESPN's Mel Kiper. Jr. It makes sense, because he can reunite with his fellow Buckeye Chris Olave in the Crescent City. Their skills are ones that could work well together, with Tate's contested catch ability and Olave's speed/skills against top corners being a kind of a boom and zoom.
It's safe to say Olave is working out well for the Saints. His career year could earn him a hefty payday this year. Miller thinks Tate could be even better. If Tate reaches that potential quickly, the Saints could field one of the best receiver tandems in the league.
It's also a matchup that's never taken the football field, with Olave leaving for the draft the year that Tate came to Colombus. Just missing each other at the college level, they might finally team up in the pros. Two Ohio State receivers are better than one anyway, right? So if he's on the board at eight, the Saints shouldn't hesitate to select him as their first-rounder.