The Kansas City Chiefs have several different directions that they could go with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but one of the rumors swirling about the NFL Combine involves Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.
“Carnell Tate’s confirmed extensive time with Chiefs, [New Orleans] Saints, and [both] New York teams,” college football reporter Travis May relayed live from Tate’s Combine press conference on February 27.
The Tate news shouldn’t come as a shock to Chiefs fans. Kansas City tends to place a first-round valuation on the wide receiver position, and many draft analysts and pundits have Tate as the top wide receiver in this class.
The Buckeyes star confirmed his belief that he is this year’s WR1 while speaking with reporters.
“Everything,” Tate told the media on February 27, when asked what makes him the No. 1 WR (via New York Post reporter Paul Schwartz). “Mindset, the catching, the route-running, and the blocking.”
“I got the mindset that I’m the best wide receiver in this draft class,” he continued confidently. “I got the route-running [ability]; I’m able to manipulate DBs. Got the catching [ability]; I can contested catch over DBs [and] make great catches. I have a field awareness on the sideline, a couple of sideline grabs. Also, showing up in the blocking game; blocking D-ends, corners, whatever you need me [to do].”
Ohio State’s Carnell Tate Led FBS WRs in QB Passer Rating When Targeted in 2025
GettyOhio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Tate can say he’s No. 1, but do the metrics back it up? The short answer would be yes and no.
Tate failed to achieve a 1,000-yard season in college. His best statistical campaign came in 2025, as the 6-foot-3 junior finished with 875 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns.
Having said that, according to Pro Football Focus, quarterbacks had a 151.8 passer rating when targeting Tate in 2025, which ranked first for all FBS wide receivers who received a minimum 20% of targets.
He was also charged with zero dropped passes and hauled in 12 of his 14 contested catch opportunities. That gave Tate an impressive contested catch percentage of 85.7%.
PFF has a signature stat called “yards per route run,” which averages the amount of total yards a receiver racks up relative to the number of routes they run. This is generally a good measure of a receiver’s total impact on the offense.
In this area, Tate ranked 12th for all FBS wide receivers (minimum 20% target share) with a yards per route run of 3.02 yards.
For reference, 2026 draftmates Cade Harris (Air Force), Makai Lemon (USC), and Skyler Bell (UConn) all ranked higher than Tate in this area, despite ranking lower in QB passer rating when targeted and contested catch rate.
Chiefs Draft News & Rumors From NFL Combine
The Chiefs seem to be keeping their options open at No. 9 overall. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love confirmed that he met with KC for a formal interview on February 27, as did fellow running back Jonah Coleman.
Kansas City has also met with wide receivers like Tate and Lemon, and edge rushers like Ruben Bain Jr., among others.
As you’d expect, general manager Brett Veach is casting a very wide net. The Chiefs’ top needs appear to be defensive line, wide receiver, and running back, but one can never rule out offensive line. Especially if KC elects to release a big-money starter like right tackle Jawaan Taylor.
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