Titans' Carnell Tate among early Offensive Rookie of the Year favorites

With the aftermath of the 2026 NFL Draft and opinions of each team's picks in the rearview, the media now turns its attention to predictions.

ESPN's national NFL analyst Ben Solack gave his early candidates for Rookie of the Year, with Tennessee Titans' top pick, Carnell Tate, listed as a favorite.

Tate's high draft selection puts him in the driver's seat

Solack listed the top three drafted offensive skilled position players as the clear favorites, and those players were Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love, and Titans wide receiverCarnell Tate.

Can Tate have the season McMillan just had? I'm dubious. Tate was not the primary receiver at Ohio State and will now draw WR1 attention in the NFL. I had a lower grade on Tate coming out than I had on McMillan last year, and I have more esteem for Dave Canales calling plays in Carolina than I do for Brian Daboll in Tennessee. Plus, Daboll will be tempted to funnel targets to former Giant Wan'Dale Robinson, a notorious high-volume slot receiver. The road for Tate to climb is tougher than McMillan's was a year ago.

On the other hand, the fourth pick is the fourth pick. The Titans are telling us that they want Tate to produce heavily. I'm just not sure I buy the talent level relative to past winners such as Wilson and Chase.

While quarterbacks typically dominate this award, Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan took home the honors after producing 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie last season.

McMillan followed recent winners in Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (2021) and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (2022). Can Carnell Tate provide similar production for the Titans? For a team whose leading wide receiver last season was former fourth-round rookie Elic Ayomanor with 515 yards, he will certainly have the opportunity.

The Titans do have a couple of 1,000-plus yard wide receivers in the returning Calvin Ridley from an injury-riddled season and former Giants slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson. However, Tate was selected with the fourth overall pick, meaning he will be expected to produce early and often for a team looking to build a young QB-WR connection between him and Cam Ward.

With Tate primed to earn a starting role next to Ridley and Robinson, their experience of success could bode well for the development of Tate to become a favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans' Carnell Tate among early Offensive Rookie of the Year favorites