Titans say OSU’s Carnell Tate was perfect fit for Cam Ward

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Greg Lewis was giddy with emotion in the Tennessee Titans’ draft room last month. The receivers coach couldn’t help himself as he began to clap while offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was on the phone with the Titans’ newest draft pick, Carnell Tate.

Applause is usually reserved for when the call is over, but Lewis was clearly excited about the opportunity to work with the 6-foot-3, 195-pound All-American receiver from Ohio State.

Tate going in the first round wasn’t a surprise, but getting picked at No. 4 stunned the NFL world. But in Nashville, the Titans were unanimous about picking a player they believe will develop into their No. 1 wide receiver to pair with last year’s No. 1 pick in quarterback Cam Ward.

After the Arizona Cardinals took ex-Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 pick, the board was open for the Titans to take top defensive prospects Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles — whom many draft analysts had linked to Tennessee because of coach Robert Saleh’s defensive background.

But Saleh had made it clear his priority was giving Ward a runway to success.

“The quarterback is a pretty damn important piece,” Saleh said as Tate was introduced to reporters. “So we’re doing everything we can to help [Ward] and surround him with players who can get the ball in their hands and go score.

“Carnell was by far the top receiver on our board. It was a very easy decision to make.”

DURING THE FIRST session at OTAs that was open to reporters Thursday, Ward targeted the rookie wideout frequently as he lined up across the formation.

“He’s got great hands, wins in man coverage, and he’s a strider,” Ward said.

Tate immediately improves the Titans’ deep passing game. Tennessee had only three passing plays of 40 or more yards last season. Five of Tate’s nine touchdowns last season went for 40 yards or more.

“Tate is a bigger, vertical guy with the ability to play big downfield,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said. “That’s the one thing, all these contested catches downfield, his ability to go up and catch the football, contort his body in certain ways. I think it’s going to be great for Cam.”

The Titans love Tate’s exceptional ball skills and large catch radius that make him a potent downfield pass catcher. Tate’s field-stretching ability flashed during a team period Thursday when he easily hauled in a 50-plus yard touchdown pass from Ward after a coverage mishap by defensive backs Marcus Harris and Kevin Winston Jr.

Borgonzi also noted the burst Tate has at the line of scrimmage, which is important because they see him as an X — an on-the-ball wide receiver. That means he’ll be required to face more press coverage, something with which the Titans’ receivers struggled.

Ward completed 17% of his passes to last year’s group of receivers when they faced press coverage.

AS DABOLL ENTERS Year 1 with the Titans, he said he planned to use more motion and bunch formations with close splits to help free up this year’s group against press coverage. Daboll acknowledged the adjustment to more press coverage isn’t easy for any rookie wideout.

But Daboll said he has seen Tate beat press coverage in college and feels confident in the preparation Tate received from position coach Brian Hartline while at Ohio State. Hartline played for Daboll when he was the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator in 2011.

“In the NFL, you have to know how to win against press coverage,” Tate said. “That’s all it’s about. You have to take that very personal.

“The team is going to rely on you to go out there and win that one-on-one matchup with the top corner on the other side of you.”

Titans assistant general manager Dave Ziegler said there was “a consensus vision” of how Tate would fit into Daboll’s scheme. Ziegler credited Tate for having an ability to separate in short areas despite being a longer receiver.

Daboll took advantage of that ability on a rep during team period by dialing up a play on which Ward found Tate on a slant for a nice gain inside the 10-yard line.

With Daboll calling the plays and Ward slinging Tate the ball, the Titans’ passing game could finally find the playmaking wideout it has been searching for. Ward seems to feel good about the team’s chances.

“He’ll have an explosive year just because he’ll get a lot of one-on-one matchups,” Ward said. “That’s what we want. We want guys to come down and play, man, because we think we can beat him.

“I think this is one of the best offenses he could be in just because he’s going to get coached, but he’s not going to get overcoached, and he’s going to still be able to play football how he sees it.”