The 2026 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and it’s time to start diving into the top prospects. The Rookies to Know series aims to identify first-year players who have the talent and potential to make an impact for your fantasy football teams in 2026. Plenty of rookies proved to be relevant during the 2025 fantasy football season, and we’ll do our best to find the first-year players in this upcoming draft who can help your fantasy teams this fall.
It’s important to remember that when it comes to rookies, they often provide pockets of value, meaning they may give your fantasy team a boost for a particular stretch of the season, but maybe not for the duration of the year. Patience can be difficult when managing rookies on your re-draft rosters, but it can pay huge dividends. Just look at Bears Tight End Colston Loveland. He had a slow start to his rookie year, but by the fantasy playoffs, his role increased, culminating in a 21.4 point PPR performance in Week 17 when fantasy championships were on the line. That’s just one example, but it shows how important rookies can be in redraft and best ball leagues. They may not carry your team from Weeks 1-17, but a few spike weeks from a rookie could put your team in a better position to make the playoffs or even win a championship.
This year, the Rookies to Know articles will attempt to be as easily digestible as possible. We’ll start with a background on the player, followed by strengths, weaknesses, and finish up with one or two ideal and realistic landing spots. The goal is to know how the player’s strengths can translate to fantasy production as a rookie, and where they can improve in order for them to reach their ceiling as a fantasy asset.
We kick off our draft prep with the microscope on an Ohio State pass catcher who may be drafted in the top ten and be called upon to play a critical role for his respective team right out of the gates.
Carnell Tate, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Combine results:
Height: 6’2 1/4
Weight: 192 pounds
Hand size: 10 1/4 inches
Arm length: 31 1/4 inches
Wingspan: 78 inches
40-yard dash: 4.53 (see below)
10-yard split: 1.61
Background:
The former Buckeye was a four-star recruit who finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida after transferring from Marist High School in his native Chicago. He immediately played a role in the Ohio State offense as a freshman in 2023, coming away with 18 receptions for 264 yards and a touchdown. His freshman season actually topped those of Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, according to nfldraftbuzz.com. He became a full-time player in 2024 with the departure of Harrison Jr. and posted impressive numbers (52 receptions, 733 yards, and four touchdowns) as just a 19-year-old in the Big Ten. Although he missed three games in 2025 with a calf strain, Tate had career highs in receiving yards (875) and touchdowns (nine), finishing his college career on a high note.
Strengths:
- Body control and ball tracking ability on passes deep down the field are exceptional
- His contested catch ability is in the 100th percentile, according to PFF, meaning if the ball is in the vicinity, he’s catching it
- Has subtle moves in his route running that help create separation down the field, as evident in this breakdown by NBC’s Connor Rodgers
- Has long strides and great hands, rarely dropping the ball
- A major deep threat, as he averaged 32.5 yards per touchdown in 2025
- Forces defensive backs to respect his speed and deep threat ability, opening up opportunities for him in the intermediate areas of the field; not a one-trick pony
- Can stop quickly and change direction on intermediate routes to help pick up chunk plays, adding to his repertoire as an all-around receiver
- Young and productive: just turned 21 years old in January and has already shown the ability to produce at a high-level against Big Ten competition; he’s no late bloomer.
- Two-time Ohio State scholar athlete and first-team Academic All-American; no character red flags
Weaknesses:
- Needs improvement against press coverage
- His release package is lacking
- Can get thrown off early on in his route against physical corners
- Might not be a YAC (yards after catch) monster at the next level
- Missed three games in 2025 with a calf strain
- Not a burner with his speed, as his 40 time indicates, but some NFL scouts and executives reportedly clocked Tate in the range of 4.45-4.47
Bottom line:
Tate is an explosive play waiting to happen at the next level. While he may not run by defenders in the open field, his body control and aptitude to come down with tough contested catches will make up for any lack of top-end speed. That can translate to NFL production almost immediately. Sure, he may have benefited from playing alongside past and future first-round picks such as Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, but he was also plenty productive and commanded targets in his own right. It would’ve been easy for Tate to fall behind and prove to be more of a sidekick to his elite receiver teammates, but instead, he excelled and established himself as a quality 1B receiver, at the very least. The Academic All-American contributed early on at Ohio State despite heavy target competition, and he has the skill set to make a swift impact for any NFL team that drafts him. His results at the NFL Combine were mixed, as there was some discrepancy between his official 40-yard dash time and the numbers NFL teams clocked. Regardless, Tate’s strengths as a prospect aren’t centered on his speed anyway. He showed enough on the field at Ohio State and has plenty of appealing aspects of his game, making him a player to keep on file when it comes to redraft and best ball leagues as a rookie who can help you in 2026. If you really want to dig into the weeds of Carnell Tate and what makes him an attractive prospect for fantasy football, this post by Fantasy Life’s Dwain McFarland is for you.
Ideal fantasy landing spot (s):
The Giants (Pick 5) and the Commanders (Pick 7) in the each stick out as attractive first-round landing spots for Tate. Each team would provide Tate with the opportunity to earn plenty of targets while also playing alongside #1 Wide Receivers that defenses must account for (Malik Nabers with the Giants and Terry McLaurin in Washington). Tate wouldn’t have to be the only show in town, but neither team is particularly deep at the receiver position. Both the Giants and Commanders also have promising young quarterbacks in Jaxson Dart and Jayden Daniels. If the Cowboys decide to trade George Pickens after tagging him and Tate slips a bit later than expected, Dallas would be a slam dunk at Pick 12. Playing opposite CeeDee Lamb in an explosive offense led by Dak Prescott would be a beautiful match for Tate.
His draft range is likely somewhere starting at Pick 4 with the Titans, down to Pick 14, where the Ravens pick. Truthfully, there are plenty of intriguing options in that area that you can make a case for as solid landing spots for Tate, but the Giants and Commanders each possess unique combinations of target earning potential while playing opposite a highly-talented WR1. A polished George Pickens was my favorite comparison that I came across when researching Tate.
Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)