The Cleveland Browns have gone to great lengths to rebuild their offensive line in free agency. Now, it's time for them to address their other glaring need by finding a true No. 1 wide receiver, and they can use the No. 6 overall pick to do so.
Given their recent moves, most would assume that they've already circled Carnell Tate as their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. He has local ties as an Ohio State Buckeye and is the consensus top dog in a stacked wide receiver class.
Considering that, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky dug deep into the tape to find his best player comparison for Tate. He chose George Pickens, who helped Georgia win a national title during the 2021 season when Monken was the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator.
Looking at the numbers side by side, Tate could be an even better frontman in the Browns' new-look offense.
"There's reminiscence of George Pickens in his game, that the long, lengthy and body control and the way that he can track a football," Orlovsky said on ESPN. "He's not necessarily this route-running savant; I don't believe that he's just going to torch people vertically with his speed, but when you think of George Pickens, it's the contested catches, make the strong-handed catches with the defender draping over you, the leaping ability with the ball while the ball is in the air, I think Carnell showed that this past season."
Dan Orlovsky might be underselling Carnell Tate with a George Pickens comparison
When he was healthy in 2020 at Georgia, Pickens lined up 7.9 percent of the time in the slot, averaged 3.4 yards after the catch, 1.68 yards per route run, had an average distance of target of 15.3, and had a contested catch rate of 64.3 percent, per Pro Football Focus. He had 29 catches on 43 targets for 378 yards and five touchdowns.
Tate's 2025 season makes those numbers look minuscule. Despite sharing the field with Jeremiah Smith, who might be the No. 1 overall pick next season, he still had 51 catches on 66 targets for 875 yards and nine scores. As for his Pickens comparisons, he lined up at the slot 10.1 percent of the time, averaged 4.5 yards after the catch, 3.02 yards per route run, had an average distance of target of 14.6, and a contested catch rate of 85.7 percent.
Granted, those are just numbers and projections, and it's hard to compare contexts from different players playing for different programs and in different years. That said, it gives Todd Monken a blueprint for how to use his No. 1 guy.
Both are 6-foot-3 guys who make the most of their physicality and strong hands to dominate in 50/50 situations. While they can both be vertical threats, they cause damage through their craftiness and agility, not through otherworldly speed.
Monken got to work closely with Pickens for over a year. He saw how to make the most of his physical traits to make him a perennial mismatch, and he can now do the same with a younger, yet more mature version of the Dallas Cowboys' star.
Tate may not be as flashy as other guys from previous years, but his floor is certainly high enough to be worth the risk. There's some internal familiarity with his skillset, a major need at the position, and a strong-enough résumé to make this a no-brainer decision for GM Andrew Berry and the Browns.