Exclusive: Titans’ Carnell Tate Makes Thoughts on Ex-Ohio State Teammate Jeremiah Smith Very Clear

Every year, a new crop of players makes the jump from college to the NFL, and this year, one of the most exciting newcomers in the pros is Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Tate has quickly emerged as one of the top playmakers for the Titans on the offensive side of the ball just five games into his career.

Tennessee may not have a win yet this season, but it is still figuring things out on offense, as it has a bevy of new faces making contributions on that side of the ball. Tate, in particular, flashed his potential in the team’s Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, as he put together a huge day by catching nine passes for 145 yards. With more big games like this, the Titans’ offense will surely continue making improvements throughout the year.

Soon enough, though, Tate will finish his rookie campaign, and a new batch of rookies will enter the NFL. Perhaps the most exciting football prospect in the nation right now is Tate’s former Ohio State Buckeyes teammate, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. When looking ahead to the 2027 NFL Draft, Tate made it clear that he believes Smith would be deserving of being the first player to come off the board.

“What JJ is doing is special,” Tate admitted in an exclusive interview. “It doesn’t surprise me at all after seeing what he can do when I was at OSU. He absolutely will be in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.”

Could Jeremiah Smith Win the Heisman Trophy in 2026?

A quick look at Smith’s production will show just why there is so much hype surrounding him, as he’s caught 48 passes for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns in just six games of action for Ohio State. His 152.7 yards per game is simply mind-boggling, and in a lot of ways, he’s helped fill the void left by Tate after he made the jump to the pros.

The question of the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft isn’t the only conversation Smith is in, as he’s also established himself as one of the front-runners in the Heisman Trophy race. In a lot of ways, the Heisman Trophy has become more of a quarterback-focused award in recent years, but Tate thinks that Smith would be more than deserving of breaking that trend and taking home the prestigious trophy for himself this season.

“It’s not a QB award,” Tate bluntly said. “The Heisman is for the best player in college football, and JJ has proven to be in consideration.”

Regardless, it’s only a matter of time until Smith finds his way to the NFL, and when he does, he will look to follow in Tate’s footsteps just like he has at Ohio State and establish himself as one of the premier receivers in the league. While he only has five games under his belt, Tate has made the transition to the NFL look fairly smooth, even going so far as to say that he doesn’t think he’s had his welcome to the big leagues moment yet.

“No, not really. I mean, I’ve taken a couple of big hits, but otherwise, I’d say no,” Tate simply remarked.

Carnell Tate Reveals Which Wide Receiver He Models His Game After

Like every football player that has come before him, Tate has studied the game for years, and when it comes to perfecting his craft at the wide receiver position, he’s made sure to pore over film of some of the best players at that spot in the league. Despite being born and raised in Chicago, Tate found himself idolizing a guy on the other side of the notorious Chicago Bears / Green Bay Packers rivalry, Davante Adams, who is still going strong in the NFL to this day.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Davante Adams’ game,” Tate revealed. “Love watching him play, and he’s still doing it at a high level.”

Adams, who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Rams, is in his 13th year in the league, and if Tate can come anywhere close to replicating his career, that would have to be considered a big win. For now, though, Tate will look to help the Titans pick up their first win of the year when they return to action in Week 6 for a big divisional matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.