Ohio State Buckeyes’ Carnell Tate is one of the hottest prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite this year being a wide receiver-heavy draft, he is considered to be among the elite group of first-round picks. While a lot of franchises like the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints have hosted him, a vote of confidence from the Washington Commanders’ Q, Jayden Daniels, stood out the most for him.

“I haven’t,” said Carnell Tate on the Up and Adams Show. “He reached out over social media to me, had a little text going back and forth… He just said hopefully it all works out, you end up here. He’s just wishing me well.”

The commanders are in need of a WR as well. They won only five games last season and need some steady hands to catch quarterback Jayden Daniels’ passes. And Tate could be the answer to their problems.

This year, the Commanders have the No. 7 pick. A starter QB reaching out to a prospect, without having met him prior, gives rise to speculation about how eager Daniels is to bolster the offense. Last season, Tate added 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 51 receptions. Despite having never crossed the 1,000-yard mark, he has remained a deep-threat option for the Buckeyes.

In 2024, his 733 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 52 receptions were crucial in helping the Buckeyes win the National Championship. With the Commanders lacking in the WR room, the addition of Tate would definitely boost their offense in the upcoming seasons. NFL Network Host Rhett Lewis also agrees with it, especially after witnessing the 2025 season.

“Deebo Samuel, Washington’s receiving yards leader (727) last season, is a free agent,” wrote Rhett Lewis. “So right now, the team is heading into the 2026 campaign with Terry McLaurin, who had a down 2025 while battling injuries, Treylon Burks, and Luke McCaffrey as its top three players at receiver.”

Deebo Samuel recorded 727 yards and 5 touchdowns in 72 receptions. While those were not elite numbers compared to the league’s standards, it was the highest in the franchise. But the Commanders don’t have their ace wide receiver from last season. They have lost him to free agency and haven’t yet made any approach to re-sign him. Last season, quad injuries limited Terry McLaurin to just 10 games. But in the upcoming season, he is expected to become WR1. While Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey are there, they are not the best WRs to address the issue.

“The Commanders know they need to continue supporting Jayden Daniels, and selecting one of the top wideouts in this class with their first-round pick would certainly help,” Lewis added. “I have Washington taking Carnell Tate with the seventh overall pick in my mock draft. If he’s gone when they go on the clock, the equation becomes more complicated since the Commanders don’t pick again until the third round (No. 71).”

Lewis emphasized Tate being Daniels’ secret weapon. The former has big-game experience. Besides, he has the size, talent, and athleticism to make an immediate impact in the NFL. But the best part is that with a second wide receiver, the opposition defenders will have to split, giving the Commanders more space to get on with their run game. While Tate seems to be the answer to the Washington Commanders’ WR problems, the franchise needs to act fast if they want to pick him.

The Washington Commanders don’t have many picks this year

No doubt the Washington Commanders are one of the favorites to land Ohio State Buckeyes’ Carnell Tate. But it is easier said than done. The franchise has a No. 7 pick, but if they draft someone else, they may have to wait until the third round to pick Tate. This is provided that no other franchise gets him first.

The Commanders only have six picks in this draft. They don’t have any picks in the second and fourth rounds, since they traded them for left tackle Laremy Tunsil. In a sense, they have only one pick on Day 2. Of course, there are other wide receivers whom they can pick later in the draft. However, they need to be absolutely careful with each step they take.

Besides, they are also targeting a defensive back. They have their eyes on LSU’s Mansoor Delane, whom they hosted for a top-30 visit ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. The 2025 All-American allowed only 13 catches while creating 27 pass breakups and recording 8 interceptions. So, they need to carefully analyze the situation before making a pick.

If they miss out on Tate, there is a possibility of them going for WR Adam Peters in the third round. There are a lot of ways in which the Commanders could venture. As of now, the spotlight seems to be on Carnell Tate, especially since he has already made his way to the Jayden Daniels contact list.