The Tennessee Titans pulled off the first shock of the first round of the NFL Draft when they drafted wide receiver Carnell Tate out of Ohio State. The NFL world was surprised that Tennessee decided to draft Tate rather than going with EDGE Arvell Reese as he was still on the board at No. 4. He ended up going one pick after to the New York Giants.
The Titans getting Tate for Cam Ward is exactly what Mike Borgonzi should have done. When Jeremiyah Love went off the board at No. 3 to the Cardinals, the Titans pivoted nicely and now they add another pass-catcher for Ward.
Tennessee needed desperate help at wide receiver, and now the Titans should be going into the season with Tate, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Calvin Ridley as their top pass catchers.
Later on in the draft, the Titans traded back up into the first round with Buffalo and managed to grab edge rusher Keldric Faulk to add to Robert Saleh’s defense. All in all, the Titans left the first round with making solid additions to both sides of the ball.
NFL Draft: Tennessee Titans face heavy criticism for Carnell Tate selection
Fans should be loving the Tate pick, but not everyone feels that way, which includes Brent Sobleski from Bleacher Report, who gave the Titans a D for picking Tate at No. 4.
"Ohio State's wide receiver Carnell Tate is an excellent target, and his inclusion helps in Cam Ward's development. At the same time, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department had Tate as the 10th overall prospect behind three teammates that everyone expected to come off the board earlier than him. They were all graded noticeably higher. Tate isn't even the best wide receiver in the class. A healthy Jordyn Tyson is." said Sobleski.
Let’s not forget the Titans needed someone who can stretch the field as the play develops, and Tate can do that with no issue. Last season at Ohio State, even in an offense that featured Jeremiah Smith, Tate still managed to find the endzone nine times, which gives Titans fans confidence what he can do as the presumable No. 1 receiver for Ward moving forward.
Not everyone will support the Ward selection, and that’s okay. At the end of the day, the Titans addressed a big need by giving their young quarterback a flashy new wide receiver who comes from a school that has produced a ton of wide receiver talent over the years. Tennessee takes care of the wide receiver position and now they can focus on other needs, as well as fill out some depth on both side of the ball.
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