Cleveland Browns Face Familiar WR Dilemma With Carnell Tate at No. 6 Overall

The Cleveland Browns passed on a wide receiver in last year's NFL Draft. Could they do the same thing with Carnell Tate at No. 6 overall?

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate (WO37) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns are entering the 2026 NFL Drafts with one of their biggest needs from last year’s draft still unresolved.

Wide receiver.

With the No. 2 overall selection, the Browns were expected to land Colorado wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter last year. Instead, the Browns slid back five slots in a trade down with the Jacksonville Jaguars, selecting Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler joined the BIGPLAY Sports Network's "BIGPLAY Cleveland Show" and explained why the Browns opted for Graham at No. 5 overall last year instead of Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who won the NFL Offensive Rookie of Year award after a stellar first season with the Carolina Panthers.

“One of the reasons they passed on McMillan last year in the top 10 and they went with Mason Graham was because they had an incomplete testing profile on McMillan,” Brugler said.

.@dpbrugler gives one reason the Browns passed on Tet McMillan, and it may be foreshadowing for Carnell Tate. 👀

"They had an incomplete testing profile on McMillan. All he did was a 40yd dash, and he ran a 4.53. What did Tate do?"

presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/sNKNQJSEH5 pic.twitter.com/c0TW23YXhV

— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) April 14, 2026

McMillan only ran a 40-yard dash throughout the pre-draft process, and he ran a 4.53.

What’s that tell us about Cleveland's plans for Carnell Tate?

Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate could be in consideration for the Browns at No. 6 overall, especially because Cleveland still has a glaring need at wide receiver.

But Brugler pointed out that Tate only ran the 40-yard dash in this year’s pre-draft process and matched McMillan’s 4.53.

“Would the Browns, seeing the success that McMillan had last year for the Panthers as an NFL rookie, would they look at the situation the same this year?” 

Understanding this context, it’s likely that the Browns currently have an incomplete testing profile on Tate, who is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall receiver selected. He ran the same exact 40-yard dash time that McMillan ran last year.

But he didn’t participate in any other drills besides that 40-yard dash.

The Browns hosted Tate for a pre-draft visit. They’ve also met with all of the premier pass catchers in this class, including Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, USC’s Makai Lemon and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, with plenty of other "sleeper" receiver prospects coming into Berea for visits as well.

McMillan started all 17 games for the Panthers last season, catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. The 6-foot-5 wide receiver became Bryce Young’s favorite target as the season progressed.

McMillan finished his college career with 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns. Tate finished his career at Ohio State with 121 receptions for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns. Of course, he was in a loaded wide receiver room headlined by Jeremiah Smith, who won’t be draft eligible until next season and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka who were already first-round draft picks.

Will the Browns trust the tape on Tate? It shows an extremely talented wide receiver who can catch contested passes and is athletic enough to make plays with his legs.

Or will they follow the same trend they did last year? Avoiding Tate due to an incomplete athletic testing profile and lesser college production than McMillan, who they passed on last year despite a glaring need at receiver.