The NFL Scouting Combine will take place next week, setting the tone for the 2026 NFL Draft and the football offseason as a whole.
The prediction mock drafts will feel more solidified once rumors begin swirling with the football world collected in Indianapolis ahead of free agency. However, the events that have already unfolded this offseason can point to what needs to be addressed with such a premium draft pick.
On Thursday morning, The Athletic posted a mock draft featuring all 32 first-round selections
predicted by the beat writers who cover them. Jesse Newell wrote Kansas City’s selection of the first wide receiver off the board.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
A sneaky need for the Chiefs is at receiver, where they have only two players under contract beyond 2026 (Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals). This draft fell in a positive way, then, with Tate the first receiver off the board. He’s a good team fit, as well. The Chiefs typically target run-after-catch guys, but too often last year, they were in need of an outside receiver who could create route separation and be a contested-catch option. Tate — he most often draws George Pickens comps from draft analysts — would be a welcome addition for new receivers coach Chad O’Shea, while also giving Patrick Mahomes a QB-friendly option for years to come. — Jesse Newell
My take
The first note about this draft board is the collection of players not available at the ninth selection. Between picks four and eight, the following players were taken; all of them have been popular names to match with the Chiefs.
- EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech
- S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
- EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
- RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
With that in mind, general manager Brett Veach has his choice of the three receivers projected to go top-13 by The Athletic’s NFL Draft consensus rankings.
8. Carnell Tate, Ohio State
11. Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
13. Makai Lemon, USC
Newell chose the top receiver and points out how strong a fit Tate is to work with the Chiefs’ existing receiving corps moving forward. Tate offers skills that help with facets of offense the team has struggled with recently, and the numbers prove it, according to PFF Premium Stats.
- He is a ball winner, proven by an absurdly high contested-catch rate in 2025. Tate caught 12 of 14 contested targets and did not register a drop in his last season with the Buckeyes. He also caught 12 of 13 passes thrown 10 or more yards between the hashes
- He is a downfield playmaker. The contested catches play into that, but Tate did nearly all of his damage on passes thrown 20 or more yards down the field: six of his nine touchdowns and 52% of his receiving yards in 2025, to be exact.
- He wins on the outside. Tate rarely worked from the slot at Ohio State, aligning there on less than 10% of his snaps over the last two seasons.
However, Kansas City’s pass-catching group needs a receiver who can beat man coverage himself and create separation when the designed, run-after-catch routes get jammed up.
Among FBS receivers with at least 10 targets against man coverage in 2025, Tate ranked 98th in catch rate against man coverage (10 of 16 passes). Only 153 of his 875 receiving yards were registered against man, which can be credited to opponents’ fear of manning up Tate and teammate Jeremiah Smith.
When Tate does face tight, physical coverage on his route, he struggles to shake the cornerback more often than Tyson and Lemon do on tape. He overcomes it with strong hands and a big body to pair with elite instincts at the catch point, but many high-profile receivers in draft history have shared a similar background, only to struggle at succeeding in the same fashion at the NFL level.
The point is certainly not to push Tate out of consideration for the pick, especially because he is exceptional in his strengths. Working off the primary attention on Smith, Tate took advantage of free releases as often as he could. He is a dynamic route runner in space, understanding how to manipulate zone defenders to get over the top.
However, if Kansas City is to take such a swing with the ninth pick, the receiver taken needs to be able to create route separation, as Newell put it, specifically against man coverage.
For Tate, that would be more of a projection, but one that has the ceiling of an All-Pro wideout given the other talents he has already proven.
Is Tate the best receiver in the class? Is he the strongest fit for the Chiefs? Is he both, or neither? Let’s get these draft discussions rolling with the Combine starting next week.
