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The Kansas City Chiefs were busy meeting with top candidates in the 2026 NFL Draft class at the Scouting Combine last week.
On Friday, one of the draft’s premier wide receivers revealed he formally met with the Chiefs: Ohio State’s Carnell Tate.
Tate is one of the most highly-touted prospects in this year’s draft class, and the Chiefs will likely have a chance to take him with the ninth-overall pick in April. According to The Athletic’s consensus board, he is the draft’s top-ranked receiver, as well as the eighth-ranked player overall.
Background
At the combine last week, Tate measured at 6 feet 2 inches and weighed 192 pounds with 31 3/4-inch arms. Tate only participated in one event: the 40-yard dash. He posted a result of 4.53 seconds with a 1.61 10-yard-split.
His time was slower than some had anticipated; however, ESPN’s Adam Schefter made a point to publicize the fact that plenty of other NFL decision makers timed Tate within the 4.45-4.47-second range. Whether that was true or agent speak, Tate’s pedigree speaks for itself.
Tate is a native of Chicago, Illinois, but before his Junior season of high school, he transferred to the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida.
From there, Tate saw his game grow to the point that he enrolled at Ohio State University. During three seasons as a Buckeye, Tate accounted for 14 touchdowns — nine coming during his junior season— and was a key contributor on the 2024 National Championship team.
With 48 receptions and 838 yards during his junior season, Tate used his large frame, contested catch ability, and downfield speed to find ways to impact games. The Chiefs have not had a wideout with Tate’s physical prowess in quite some time, and should jump at the opportunity to select him with the ninth-overall pick.
Film evaluation
Tate is a large wideout with a long catch radius and strong hands. His route-running ability is solid, and he excels at transitioning in and out of breaks to keep defenders off balance.
On the snap, Tate quickly builds momentum while looking downfield, but at close to 15 yards, he quickly comes to a stop and redirects back toward the sideline, looking for the ball. As the quarterback throws the pass, Tate comes back to the ball, high-pointing the ball and bringing down the catch with the cornerback draped over him.
With his long frame, Tate can make contested catches like this look easy, but he also has the route running and ball tracking to create explosive plays down the field
The cornerback starts the play with cushion over Tate, and on the snap, the safety drops down to cover him. Explosive out of his stance, Tate works inside initially, then quickly accelerates vertically down the field. He finds the ball in the air and hauls it in while finding the endzone for a touchdown.
Tate has multiple layers to his game, and this is why he will be a first-round draft pick. He can make contested catches to the perimeter, stretch defenses vertically, but also can play in the middle of the field and be a good possession option for quarterbacks.
Running as the underneath man on the mesh concept, Tate is not the quarterback’s first option, but he comes open underneath the linebackers. The quarterback delivers the ball, and Tate makes the catch, but is whalloped on the play. With a good display of toughness, Tate holds on to the pass, and the play moves the sticks for his team.
Being able to succeed in a multitude of ways has boosted Tate’s draft stock and has propelled him to become the top wide receiver prospect in this year’s draft class. While many have slotted him in more of a contested-catch or possession type, his deep-ball ability would be enticing to a team like the Chiefs.
On the snap, the defensive backs are giving Tate plenty of room underneath, and he takes advantage of the man-to-man coverage. Tate throws a hard jab step to the outside, inducing the corner to go out, but he quickly takes advantage of the situation by redirecting back inside and breaking free on his route.
He perfectly tracks the ball in the air and makes a nice catch, coming up just short of the endzone.
The bottom line
Kansas City doesn’t necessarily need to draft a wide receiver with the ninth-overall selection, but this could realistically be the last chance to draft a wide receiver in the top 10 during the era of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The team currently has Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy on rookie contracts, but to this point, neither player has shown the film— or in Rice’s case, the maturity— to be a true No. 1 receiver that the team can rely on play in and play out.
Tate would be the wide receiver of the future, but it would also provide Mahomes a weapon in his arsenal that he has not yet had. Immediately, Tate is a great complement to the receivers already on the roster for the 2026 season.
With Worthy’s speed and Rice’s ability to create yards after catch, Tate would be a higher-level, more well-rounded wideout who could blend in well with the Chiefs’ offense.
Questions are coming out of the combine about Tate’s speed due to the modest 40 time, but he will have another chance to prove himself at Ohio State’s pro day on March 25th.
The Chiefs will have plenty of options with the ninth-overall selection, but if the front office wants to give Mahomes a top-notch receiving core, and possibly his new go-to target, it would be wise to look Tate’s direction on April 23rd.