Carnell Tate Meeting With Steelers' Will Howard Before NFL Draft

Carnell Tate is set to hang out with his former college teammate and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard ahead of the NFL Draft.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) catches a touchdown pass during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Oct. 4, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the top wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft is set to reconnect with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard before hearing his name called in the first round.

At the NFL Play Football Prospect Clinic in Hazelwood, Ohio State's Carnell Tate said that while he hasn't gotten advice from Howard heading into arguably the biggest night of his life, he plans on meeting up with him if he's available following the final day of Steelers voluntary minicamp.

"I haven't gotten any advice from Will, I'm probably gonna link up with Will after this actually if he's around," Tate said.

Tate also shared some excitement at the idea of potentially being selected by Pittsburgh on Day 1.

"It [would be] a blessing," Tate said. "You here, ain't no point in leaving now. You got all your stuff, you already come with your bags packed, so you ain't gotta leave to go nowhere. Just an extra night here."

Dec 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) warms up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Tate and Howard's Connection

Howard, who began his collegiate career at Kansas State, trasnsferred to Ohio State for his final year of eligibility in 2024.

That year, Tate finished with 733 yards and four touchdowns on 52 catches while Howard threw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns as the Buckeyes won their first national championship in a decade.

At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Tate addressed the possibility of teaming back up with Howard on the Steelers, whom he had a formal meeting with there.

"Will's my guy," Tate said. "All me and Will do is joke around with each other. We call each other, we make fun of each other. So, yeah, it's a great relationship with Will.

"It would be great to catch passes from Will. I've done it before so we'd go out there and continue to laugh and joke with each other."

Is Tate a Realistic Target for the Steelers?

Because Tate is widely expected to come off the board inside the top-10 picks, with the Cleveland Browns at No. 6 and the New Orleans Saints at No. 8 viewed as his likeliest destinations, the Steelers are fighting an uphill battle towards landing him.

Even if Pittsburgh believes he's the top receiver in the class ahead of USC's Makai Lemon and Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson, it might not be willing to trade the necessary assets to make the huge leap up the board from No. 21 that'll be needed to pick him.

In an unforeseen scenario where the Steelers do pull off such a move or Tate falls, however, he'd make for a perfect outside receiver in the team's offense and could flourish working alongside Howard again.

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