The 2026 season will be the start of a hopeful QB/WR dynamic duo between Cam Ward and Carnell Tate. With the Titans selecting Ward No. 1 overall in 2025, and then selecting his new No. 1 receiver with the 4th pick in this past NFL Draft, Titans fans are hoping that they will make magic happen sooner than later.
People may think that Tate isn’t a true No. 1 receiver because he wasn’t one in college. His stats may support that argument, but don’t get it twisted; Tate is what the Titans need if they want to maximize Ward’s talent on a rookie deal. The former Ohio State standout is an excellent route runner who can stretch the field.
Leading up to the draft, a lot of mock drafts had the Titans going with either running back Jeremiyah Love, or taking a defender like David Bailey or Arvell Reese should one of them have fallen. Well, Reese was available and yet the Titans still took Tate. That should tell you what the Titans valued a lot, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler's draft intel explains just how much the Titans liked Tate.
NFL Draft intel shows Titans fans what Tennessee thought of Carnell Tate
Fowler explained that Tennessee had their draft boards ready to go well in advance and Tate was higher than his teammates like Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles.
"The Titans had finalized their draft board more than a week before, and Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate was ahead of Buckeyes teammates Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles. One source believes Reese's positional uncertainty (off-ball backer vs. edge) was a factor for Tennessee. Another countered that the Titans simply rated Tate higher and figured he wasn't getting past No. 7. Tennessee felt good about getting defensive help later." said Fowler.
Fowler then talked briefly about the Titans’ other first-round selection in EDGE Keldric Faulk, who they traded back up into the first round to get.Â
"The Titans believe they can get more pass-rush juice out of Auburn edge Keldric Faulk, their 31st pick who had two sacks last year. Faulk was in a two-gap scheme in Auburn, which limited his pass-rush opportunities." said Fowler.
Sticking with the selection of Tate, getting him to pair with Ward gives fans a brand new young QB/WR duo that will have the opportunity to light up the scoreboard. Tennessee needed an upgrade at receiver, and now they have the best one from this rookie draft class for potentially the next five years on a reasonable rookie deal.
There's already an expectation that the defense will be very solid under Robert Saleh. With an offense being led by Brian Daboll and Ward (and now having Tate), this Titans team will be in a great position to go from worst to first in the AFC South.
Add us as a preferred source on Google