There are only a few days left until the Washington Commanders use the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and a few top prospects have emerged on the shortlist of candidates to join Adam Peters' roster.
One of them is wide receiver Carnell Tate, who has been projected as a top-10 pick with the potential to go inside the top five. If Washington has the opportunity to grab him, he will be hard to pass up.
And there is one obvious reason.
Tate would be joining fellow Ohio State product Terry McLaurin in the Commanders' offense, and there's nobody who'd be a better veteran mentor for him to learn the NFL ropes from.
Terry McLaurin's input could factor into the Commanders' Carnell Tate decision
Tate appeared on The Rich Eisen Show. The host, perhaps somewhat jokingly, speculated that if McLaurin has any say, the 2024 national champion will be in a Commanders' uniform by the end of the week.
Tate expressed that he and McLaurin have already built a relationship. "Whenever I need things, he's there for me," he said of the Commanders' two-time Pro Bowler, who will be looking to return to form after an injury-riddled 2025 campaign.
The Buckeyes' pass-catcher is considered the top wideout prospect in his class, after a season in which he racked up 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He is only 21 years old and would give the Commanders a long-term core piece to build their offense around during the Jayden Daniels era. And he'd have the consummate professional in McLaurin to line up alongside him.
Ever since his dramatic contract holdout last summer, rumors have been swirling regarding McLaurin's long-term future with the Commanders. With a potential out in his contract following 2026, many believe that Washington could look to trade the former second-team All-Pro next offseason, when he will be 31 years old.
That's a move Washington likely won't make unless there is a clear successor to his role as the top target in the Commanders' receiving room. And right now, there isn't.
The team's additional wideouts include Treylon Burks, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Van Jefferson Jr., and Dyami Brown. Brandon Aiyuk has been linked to the team, but, like his former San Francisco 49ers teammate Deebo Samuel Sr. last year, he would likely be on a one-year, prove-it deal.
Tate is the type of receiver who could lead the Commanders into the post-McLaurin world. He'd learn from the 2019 third-round pick, and then one day, the offense would run through him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google