Carnell Tate buzz grows as Saints’ top pick at No. 8

Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

By Ross Jackson

The closer the NFL Draft gets, the more the smoke starts to turn to fire. For the New Orleans Saints, one name continues to heat up. Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate continues to pick up momentum as the possible selection for the Saints at No. 8 overall in the draft.

There are many reasons why Tate to the Saints makes sense. His pre-draft visit was scheduled for this week, he plays at a position that Saints would love to add to during the selection process and he helps the team achieve one of its ultimate goals this offseason: build around quarterback Tyler Shough.

Tate, who reeled in nine touchdown receptions in 2025 and averaged 17.2 yards per catch in the process, would give the Saints another big-bodied but versatile threat at pass-catcher, taking some of the pressure off of fellow Ohio State receiver Chris Olave at the position.

New Orleans saw four games of promise from wide receiver Devaughn Vele, who could also see his role grow alongside Tate and Olave. Behind Olave and Vele, the Saints have some promise, but no move is proven at the position. That’s another eason that Tate, who had 51 receptions for 875 receiving yards last year, continues to be a popular pairing with New Orleans.

While sharing draft intel for all 32 teams, ESPN’s Jordan Reid firmly placed the crosshairs on Tate as a Saints’ draft target.

“The Saints are truly open to true best player available at No. 8 overall,” he wrote. “But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they would quickly add Tate if he’s still available at No. 8 and have him join fellow Ohio State alumnus Chris Olave.”

With edge rushers and defensive playmakers likely to send teams scrambling inside the top-seven, the Saints could stand pat and wait to see if Tate falls to them. The biggest wrinkle being the Washington Commanders, who could use another wideout option themselves, drafting just ahead of New Orleans at No. 7 overall.

But if Tate were to slip to the Saints, which currently appears to carry higher odds than the pass rushers like Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. and Texas Tech’s David Bailey, the chatter is growing louder that the wide receiver could reopen the Ohio State to New Orleans pipeline.