Todd McShay defends Carnell Tate against criticism as 2026 NFL Draft prospect

How often do you hear NFL Draft analysts doubting an Ohio State wide receiver? Brian Hartline is arguably the best position coach in college football when it comes to producing talent. And coming out of high school, it appeared as if Carnell Tate was going to be one of the next guys.

But looking around way-too-early mock drafts, Tate’s name does not pop up too often. His biggest fan, to this point, might be Todd McShay of The Ringer. McShay placed Tate as the 25th overall pick back in May and most recently ranked the Ohio State product as his No. 4 wide receiver in the upcoming class.

“I see what translates,” McShay said via The McShay Show. “I see how important and I understand how important reliability is. Awesome versus zone, knows where to be. Understands leverage, understands stems, getting in and out of breaks, understands the importance of catching the ball in traffic, and being a tough guy. Goes over the middle, does a lot of the dirty work. Big 6-3 frame, good catching radius. Finds the soft spots in zones, strong, confident hands… coached extremely well as a blocker.”

This came after a long list of concerns from McShay’s podcast co-host, Steve Muench. None bigger than what Tate would run in the 40-yard dash. McShay has the same worries and believes the number Tate would hypothetically post at the NFL Combine would severely hurt him.

On the flip side, putting up a surprising time would only elevate how evaluators view Tate. Ultimately, both McShay and Muench believe there is a path to success out there — with or without a good run.

“He’s a second-rounder right now,” McShay said. “Could fall if he really, truly is a 4.65. Something tells me he just wouldn’t run if that’s the case. But also, it could elevate if he continues to elevate his game and continues to run better.”

Tate will find himself once again in a secondary role within the Ohio State offense. Jeremiah Smith will be primary target No. 1 every time out there. A fair share of production did open up when Emeka Egbuka left the program, now entering training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Even so, doubting wide receivers produced by Ohio State is becoming tougher by the year. All Tate needs to quickly rise up draft boards is an incredible season alongside Smith, getting teams to believe Hartline did it again.