While they are in Indianapolis for the combine, the New York Giants brass is expected to do some serious due diligence on the wide receiver prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class. And the three main wideouts Joe Schoen is likely going to zero in on are Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate, and Makai Lemon.
All three of those receivers are going to be in play for the Giants at No. 5, so a strong combine showing could be the difference in the direction they go in April. The consensus is all over the place, as some prefer Tyson, some like Tate, and others are Lemon truthers, but Tate is expected to garner real consideration.
The Ohio State receiver revealed that he met with the Giants during the combine, but he also sought to put the months-old debate to rest. Even though Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award and Tyson has more upside, Tate still believes that his jack-of-all-trades skillset makes him the best WR in this draft.
Carnell Tate believes that he's the best receiver in this draft class, but do the Giants agree?
You've got to love the confidence, even though he's probably the least talented of the three. The 21-year-old has great size, solid hands, and is a polished route runner, but my problem with him is that while he does everything well, he doesn't do anything exceptionally well compared to the other WRs.
A lot of his heroics for Ohio State this past season were overshadowed by the presence of a generational WR in Jeremiah Smith. He is a good downfield threat, but if Tyson didn't have the medical red flags, I would venture to say that most teams in the NFL would have him ranked over Tate.
Him meeting with Big Blue is a positive sign since Wan'Dale Robinson is as good as gone and they badly need a running mate for Malik Nabers once he returns from his ACL tear. And adding another downfield threat will continue to open up Matt Nagy's offense for Jaxson Dart, which is also great.
Schoen is the GM who fell in love with Rome Odunze (even though Brian Daboll pushed for Nabers) during the 2024 pre-draft process, and Tate is a similar receiver prospect. He's as prototypical of an "X" receiver as you could find, which is evidently in line with Odunze's own skillset out of Washington.
The Giants need to add receivers in some capacity, although I'm not sure that drafting Tate over an instant impact defender like Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs is the best course of action. But if the G-Men are somehow able to trade down, Tate's a name that could start gaining some serious traction.