<\/p>\n
When the Cardinals chosen running back <\/span>Jeremiyah Love<\/b> with the No. 3 overall pick in last month\u2019s draft, many expected the Titans to grab linebacker\/EDGE <\/span>Arvell Reese<\/b> with the No. 4 alternative. As we learned after the draft, the Titans were concerned about Reese\u2019s positional slot in recent head coach <\/span>Robert Saleh<\/b>\u2019s defense, which is considered one of the explanation why Tennessee opted for wide receiver <\/span>Carnell Tate<\/b> as a substitute (although the team reportedly would have taken Reese if Tate had not been available).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a>We also learned the Titans viewed Tate\u2019s athleticism more highly than his official scouting mix metrics. And there was one other aspect of his game that drew Tennessee to the previous Buckeye: his ability against press coverage.<\/span><\/p>\n As ESPN\u2019s Turron Davenport<\/a> notes, Titans receivers caught just 17% of their targets last season when facing press coverage. Latest offensive coordinator <\/span>Brian Daboll<\/b> (video link<\/a> via Davenport) said he’ll address that concern schematically with more bunch formations and motions, and Daboll added that Tate\u2019s presence will go a great distance given what he was capable of placed on tape while in college.<\/span><\/p>\n Tennessee did find an EDGE in a while in Day 1, trading back into the primary round to land Auburn defensive end <\/span>Keldric Faulk<\/b>. The team then picked up linebacker <\/span>Anthony Hill Jr.<\/b> within the second round, so it quickly tended to each of the defensive positions that might have been targets at No. 4. Clearly, nevertheless, adding more weaponry to second-year quarterback <\/span>Cam Ward<\/b>\u2019s arsenal was a top priority, and the Titans apparently feel they landed an entire player at the highest of the draft board.<\/span><\/p>\n Along with his press coverage acumen, the 6-foot, 192-pound Tate earned a status as a superb route runner in his three years at Ohio State, where he caught 121 passes and 14 touchdowns in 39 games. His production took off after <\/span><\/b>Marvin Harrison Jr.<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Emeka Egbuka<\/b> turned pro, and he didn’t drop a pass in 2025, per <\/span>Pro Football Focus<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n