As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, the buzz surrounding Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate has reached a fever pitch. It is fueled not only by his elite tape but by a public endorsement from a former teammate. Will Howard, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 sixth-round pick, has made it no secret that he wants a reunion in the Steel City.
Carnell Tate Reveals Will Howard’s Wish for a Pittsburgh Steelers Reunion
Following Ohio State’s Pro Day this week, Tate jokingly revealed that Howard has been tight-lipped about the draft process for one specific reason: He’s rooting for Tate to “fall” to the Steelers at pick No. 21.
Tate said, “Oh, Will isn’t giving me no tips. He’s probably going to root for me to come with him to Pittsburgh.”
Tate has spent three years cementing his legacy as the next great product of “Wide Receiver U.” Finishing his final campaign with 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine touchdowns, Tate led the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff berth and solidified his status as the most polished route-runner in the class.
At 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, Tate lacks the burner speed of some peers, clocking a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but he compensates with elite ball-tracking and an incredible 0% drop rate in 2025. As a result, he also secured the eighth rank in PFSN’s CFB WR Impact.
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Recently, Tate even called the 40-yard dash time overrated. He declared, “I definitely think it can be overvalued. Like a couple of great NFL receivers right now like Puka [Nacua] and Jaxon [Smith-Njigba] like they probably didn’t run the fastest of times, but they’re the two best receivers in the league right now.”
For Howard, the motivation is clear. The two developed a shorthand during Ohio State’s 2024 season, where Tate’s ability to find soft spots in zone coverage became the quarterback’s primary safety net. If Pittsburgh can secure Tate, the Steelers provide Howard with a high-floor target who can dominate the intermediate levels of the field.
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PFSN’s Jacob Infante has Tate going to the Cleveland Browns as the sixth pick in his latest mock draft. He writes, “Carnell Tate can go under the radar sometimes at Ohio State with all the talent they’ve had there, but a good argument can be made that he’s the top wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft.”
While Howard is rooting for a slide to 21, the consensus among major networks is that a talent as polished as Tate won’t stay on the board that long.
