Popular WR trainer blasts Titans' drill sequence with Carnell Tate

Carnell Tate went fourth overall to the Tennessee Titans specifically because he can run routes. The Route God, one of the most followed receiver trainers in the country, watched what the Titans did with him at OTAs and had some things to say about it.

The Titans ran a hip drop drill and rolled straight into a speed cut, and he thinks that makes no sense from a movement standpoint.

"We doing a hip drop drill, then we roll into a speed cut for what?" he said. "Either work to hip drop, work to down stop, work to snap down disconnect. We just don't get our respect."

Tate is a 6-foot-2, 192-pound route runner out of Ohio State. The Titans passed on edge rushers, offensive linemen, and quarterbacks to take him at No. 4 because they believe his route tree can unlock second-year quarterback Cam Ward.

ESPN's Mike Clay projects him for 1,065 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, which would lead the entire 2026 draft class at the position.

The Route God acknowledged NFL coaches know the game on the whiteboard.

"They might know more X's and O's than me, meaning the on-the-board stuff, the coverage stuff," he said. "But we talking about overall movement."

He went on to say that coaches pull from movement specialists without understanding how the drills connect.

Running a hip drop drill into a speed cut combines two separate movement concepts that shouldn't be chained together. Each technique needs its own dedicated rep block to actually transfer into game situations.

The Titans' first OTA open to media drew strong reviews for Tate, who caught everything thrown his way and showed immediate chemistry with Ward.

Head coach Robert Saleh's staff has not responded to the criticism publicly.