NFL Interviews
“He’ll Regret It” — NFL Execs Blast Titans for Drafting Carnell Tate Over Arvell Reese
2026 NFL Draft - Round One by Michael Owens | Getty Images
The Titans provided one of the first surprises of the NFL draft, taking Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate over Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese with the fourth-overall pick.
Some NFL GMs and evaluators believe it will prove to be a critical mistake for head coach Robert Saleh.
Tate was certainly regarded as one of the top receivers in the draft, but his lack of true burning speed threatens to limit his impact deep downfield in the NFL, and even in a draft that was short on premium blue chip talent, that felt like a stretch to several rival front offices.
A No 2 WR, Or Potentially The Best Defensive Player In The Draft?
‘“It’s hard to find a lot of true No. 1 receivers with that 40 time,” one NFL general manager said.
“It doesn’t really happen. Taking a receiver without the speed to take the top off a defense there, that’s too high to me.”
Another GM: “I didn’t like that pick. I thought they would have jumped on Reese.”
Saleh has a defensive background and while the Titans need play makers for young quarterback Cam Ward, their top pick a year ago, the depth at receiver far surpassed the potential to land a premium pass rusher.
Reese will require some work and creative to fully tap into his skillset, but that should a calling card for Saleh given his lengthy background as a defensive coordinator.
“He’s going to regret passing on Reese,” one longtime NFL personnel exec said.
“The guy who took him (Giants coach John Harbaugh with the fifth pick) will know how to use him, watch. That’s a big, powerful dude. He’s going to be a handful on the edge in that defense. You have to willing to move him around and think outside the box, but that size and power, that’s a top five pick my man. Not the wide receiver.”
Perhaps the Titans will prove to be right over time. But that hasn’t often been the case with that franchise the last five years or so.
Comments
3 comments
One certainty we have learned from decades of drafting is the pressure of evaluating and interviewing players, then picking the most appropriate to build a Super Bowl team has been too much for most who are being paid to do so. I like Reese and Tate. One could look at Reese and see Isaiah Simmons. The same could look at Tate and see Jerry Rice. Play the game.
Yeah, position-less Arvell Reese was the choice we should’ve made. Please! He wasn’t particularly productive as a pass rusher. He would be a project in the same way that Keldric Falk is, but way greener. Why would Saleh want that??. Especially at #4. Tate is pretty much flawless. The only knocks you could ever have is that he played across from someone who took all the attention. That’s every OSU wide receiver for the past 10 years. And that his times are in a 4.5?! The average pro bowl WR in the 2020s runs a 4.5. The greatest player of all time, let alone greatest receiver, Jerry Rice probably ran in the high 4.6s. And he would STILL today be the most dominant receiver on any field if he started his career in 2026. None of that matters. Running routes, catching the ball and being competitive is what matters. Tate is a plus on all of those.
Whoever those league execs were are idiots. Most of the WR1s in the league aren't running in that 4.3 to 4.44 range. A lot of them run in that 4.45 to 4.55 range. Also it's not always about damn speed. Can he run routes and catch the ball and Tate can do both.
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La Canfora has covered over 20 Super Bowls and League Meetings and NFL drafts, building a wide network of sources throughout all aspects of the game. He was an award winning print journalist as well, working at The Detroit Free Press and The Baltimore Sun prior to his first stint at The Washington Post. He has covered sporting events around the world, including two Winter Olympics and all of the 2006 World Cup. He attended his first NFL game in 1978, and would soon kindle what has become a lifelong love and appreciation of the sport. La Canfora is also a professional handicapper, specializing in the NFL, creating a daily sports wagering game show - "Wanna Bet?" He also hosts nationally broadcast NFL radio shows in the US, as well as a daily sports radio show in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.