The Titans got who they hope is their franchise quarterback in Cam Ward in the 2025 NFL Draft and now give him who they hope is their franchise WR in Carnell Tate, the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft. Tate should be the WR1 in Tennessee right away, given the draft capital Tennessee invested in him, but what’s his fantasy outlook? Let’s explore.
CARNELL TATE
- Tate is the latest pass-catching prodigy from Ohio State, which has established itself as Wide Receiver U in recent years. Tate’s production is not that of an early first-round draft pick; he peaked at 875 receiving yards in college and only controlled 23% of the Buckeyes’ receiving yardage market share in his final season. With that being said, Tate had to compete for targets with Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and near-certain 2027 WR1 Jeremiah Smith in Columbus. Tate also didn’t test out as a super-athlete, running a fine 4.53 40-yard dash at 192 pounds, but scouts point to his downfield playmaking ability and note he looks faster on tape than he ran in compression clothing. Jameson Williams and Jaylen Waddle are recent examples of successful early picks with uninspiring college production, and NFL pundits unanimously agree Tate is worthy of such a high selection.
- Going No. 4 overall is elite draft capital for a wide receiver, setting Tate up to be the WR1 for Cam Ward right away in Tennessee. The Titans have a new coaching staff that clearly prioritized Tate, taking him (slightly) earlier than he was expected to go, and that also bodes well for his chances of getting peppered with targets immediately. OC Brian Daboll is familiar with new Titans slot man Wan’Dale Robinson from their time together in New York, and Robinson has posted 0.26 and 0.25 targets-per-route-run marks over the past two seasons. He will get looks, and Calvin Ridley likely does too, but Tate should be the alpha pass catcher in this room immediately.
- Ward’s development will help determine Tate’s ceiling. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick showed flashes but struggled with consistency (and a talent discrepancy vs. the rest of the league), throwing for just 5.9 yards per attempt as a rookie. Adding Daboll, who helped develop Josh Allen in Buffalo and coaxed some occasionally usable play out of Daniel Jones in New York before he exploded last year in Indianapolis, will help. Whether Ward takes the next step forward in his development is critical in evaluating Tate as a fantasy option. But at the very least, the volume will be there.
OTHER TITANS PASS CATCHERS
- Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor performed admirably in larger-than-expected roles, as both were thrust into full-time roles (at points) as Day 3 picks. Those days seem over though, with Robinson taking over slot duties from Dike and the Tate selection pushing Ayomanor further down the depth chart.
- Ridley quietly got targets when he was healthy last year: 29%, 21%, 18%, 12%, and 26% in five full games. But he caught just 43.3% of his targets and is now 31 years old, and his team just spent the No. 4 pick on a rookie WR. Ridley’s best days are behind him, but he still projects to be on the field a fair amount opposite Tate. Still, his target outlook just got crushed, and it’s difficult to be excited about the WR3 for the Titans.
- Robinson posted career-high marks across the board in 2025, topping the 1,000-yard mark for the first time (1,014 yards) and notably seeing an aDOT bump to 8.4. He did this while earning 0.26 targets per route run in Malik Nabers‘ absence, enjoying a true breakout in Year 4. Robinson remains a slot guy with a capped ceiling due to his diminutive size, and he needs immense volume to remain fantasy-relevant. He has just nine career receiving touchdowns on 389 targets. Adding Tate to the fold here means he won’t be a viable fantasy option week to week, barring an injury, but Robinson is a legitimately elite target earner who still projects for real volume in this offense.
- Gunnar Helm is now the TE1 in Tennessee and, like everyone else here, will see a decreased volume projection with Tate in town.
