Sources: WR Carnell Tate leaving Ohio State for NFL draft - ESPN

Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate is leaving school early and declaring for the NFL draft, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Tate is projected as a Top 10 overall pick in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper's current rankings, the latest in a gilded line of high-end Buckeye receivers. Tate caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns for Ohio State this year.

He did that in 11 games, as he missed three games from injury. He flashed dominance throughout the year, as he had 183 yards receiving against Minnesota, five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown against Michigan and 124 yards and a touchdown against Penn State.

Tate, who is 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, finishes his three-year career with 1,872 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. In a program filled with the sport's top wide receiver prospects, he played in 13 games as a true freshman and flashed star power as a sophomore with 52 catches for 733 yards on Ohio State's national title winning team.

Tate's sophomore year included seven catches against Texas for 87 yards in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

He projects as the latest OSU first-round receiver; the school has had five picked in the first round the last four years. Ohio State's run includes both Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in 2022, Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2023, Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024 and Emeka Egbuka last year.

A first-round selection would mean five-straight NFL drafts with a wide receiver taken in the first round for the Buckeyes. Last year, they were the first team in the common draft era to have wide receivers picked in the first round in four straight year. Tate projects to extend that unprecedented run.

A veteran NFL scout summed up Tate to ESPN this way: «He's very smooth, fast and a good athlete. He