After finding surprising success down the stretch with Tyler Shough under center, the future for the New Orleans Saints is looking bright heading into the offseason.
With an idea of what worked and what didn’t for Kellen Moore in his first season as head coach, the Saints will soon be able to fortify their depth in free agency before targeting the next generation of New Orleans stalwarts in the 2026 NFL Draft, where they hold the eighth overall pick in the first round.
Discussing expected top-10 pick Carnell Tate openly declaring that he would like to play with Shough in New Orleans on Up & Adams, the Louisville product gave him a tip of the cap, noting the Saints could certainly use another playmaker on offense.
“I’m sure, I’m sure they are aware. They’re doing their due diligence with all those guys. It’ll be interesting,” Shough noted. “It’ll be interesting. I know there’s a lot of great prospects. I mean, who knows, who knows what position and, uh, but yeah, I think we, we can definitely add a playmaker like him for sure.”
Asked if he’d like to specifically play with Tate next season, Shough said yes, noting that Ohio State wide receivers have a good track record of success at the NFL level for a reason.
“Of course, of course,” Shough said. “I mean, what he’s been able to do at Ohio State, I think we got the proof of having a really good Ohio State receiver on roster already. So, um, you can’t go wrong there.”
The latest product of the Ohio State wide receiver machine, which has produced starters for about a quarter of the NFL’s teams at this point, Tate’s stats may not be as impressive as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., or Emeka Egbuka, but when the ball did come his way, the former 5-star made plays, averaging 17.2 yards per receptions while adding nine touchdowns through the air over just 11 games. If the Saints want to take their offense up a notch in 2026 and add some serious firepower for Shough, then Tate might just be the player to pick at No. 8 if he’s still on the board.
Saints QB Tyler Shough responds to Ohio State WR Carnell Tate wanting to play with him:
“We can definitely add a playmaker like him… You can’t go wrong there.” @carnelltate_ | @tylershough2 | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/n4ZU82McS7
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 30, 2026
The post Tyler Shough on board with Saints drafting Ohio State WR Carnell Tate appeared first on ClutchPoints.
