After Carnell Tate had his dreams come true a bit earlier than most expected at Thursday night’s NFL draft in Pittsburgh, he took a moment to honor his mother.
Tate — a Chicago native who started his high school career at Marist before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida, then starred as a receiver at Ohio State — wore a jacket with his mom’s name, Ashley Griggs, inscribed on the inside.
Griggs was killed in a 2023 shooting in Chicago when Tate was a freshman at Ohio State.
“My mom, she’s my everything,” Tate told ESPN in an interview after he was drafted. “She’s my rock. She’s my world. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here. She sacrificed everything for me and I’m forever indebted.”
‘It all started at Marist’ for local NFL draft prospects Carnell Tate, Jimmy Rolder and Pat Coogan
The Tennessee Titans selected Tate with the fourth overall pick of the draft, surprising most analysts who pegged Tate to be picked later in the top 10.
Tate became just the second receiver selected in the top five in the last decade, joining his former Ohio State teammate Marvin Harrison Jr., who was taken with the No. 4 pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2024.
“I didn’t have any idea I was going to go this early,” Tate said in a press conference afterward. “It’s a blessing to be able to fulfill this dream.”
Although Tate’s time on the football field for Marist was brief, he quickly made a huge impact.
As a freshman in 2019, he was called up to the varsity a month into the season, becoming the only freshman to play on the varsity at Marist for Ron Dawczak during his seven years as head coach.
Tate finished that fall with 28 catches for 444 yards and five TDs.
“He was just a kid who was dripping with talent,” Dawczak said. “He had the size. He had the coordination. Coming in as a 6-foot-2 freshman, usually it takes those kids some time to grow into their bodies, but Carnell was so far advanced.
“We knew we had something special.”
Tate began his sophomore year at Marist in 2020, but when COVID-19 put the football season in Illinois in flux — a shortened season was eventually played the following spring — Tate transferred to IMG for the second semester.
Before he left for Florida, Tate formed a tight friendship at Marist with fellow receiver Nolan Baudo.
Baudo and Tate reunited at Ohio State, where Baudo joined the Buckeyes as a walk-on. Baudo also was in Pittsburgh for his buddy’s big moment.
“I’m just super excited for him,” Baudo said. “I’ve seen all the hard work he’s put in since we were 15 years old. Seeing the culmination of that, it’s awesome. It’s a lifelong dream for him, for sure.”
Baudo confirmed that he knew Tate was a special athlete before they even played a high school game together. But a future pro? That was hard to gauge.
“I knew he was a great player but I had never seen what an NFL player looks like so I didn’t know,” Baudo said. “Coming from the South Side of Chicago, that was almost like a foreign language at that point until someone actually does it.”
Now that Tate has done it, Dawczak is beaming with pride.
“One of the things with Carnell was he was very talented but he was a kid who was very humble,” Dawczak said. “After practice, he would ask to work with his position coach. ‘Can you throw me some balls? Can we run a couple extra routes?’
“He just always wanted to get better and when you have the talent he does plus that mentality, you’re going to set yourself up to be successful.”
As for the next step, Tate had a simple message for Titans fans and his new quarterback, Cam Ward.
“I’m a reliable target for him and whenever he needs me, I’m there for him,” Tate told ESPN.
“I’m always open.”
