Don’t let the official laser-measured 40-yard dash times at the NFL Scouting Combine fool you. Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate did not run a 4.52.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter made sure everyone knew as much on Sunday morning, taking to social media to explain that several teams had clocked Tate’s time much lower than the NFL’s official listing for the first-round prospect.
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, a potential top 10 pick, was timed by several NFL executives and GMs on Saturday with a 40 time in the range of 4.45-4.47 seconds.
Although the combine registers official times, teams always conduct their own timing, and those measurements with some…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2026
“Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, a potential top 10 pick, was timed by several NFL executives and GMs on Saturday with a 40 time in the range of 4.45-4.47 seconds,” Schefter reported, noting that Tate was officially measured at a 4.52.
Schefter’s report caused a stir on multiple fronts. For one, many accused the insider of banking on favors from Tate’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to spin his 40 time, which was slower than some expected, in a positive light. Second, many pointed out that it’s ridiculous to trust a team-measured time over the league’s time, which uses a standardized process for every single participant.
“Sent from Drew Rosenhaus’ iPhone” https://t.co/D0ikudmqDf
— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) March 1, 2026
This is complete and total bullshit.
The combine is sensor timed. It’s the most sterile environment for 40 times and Tate bombed because FAST GUYS RUN FAST and he didn’t run fast. @NFLDraftBites https://t.co/JtxmjfFiJ3
— Jared Stillman (@JaredStillman) March 1, 2026
What agent got you to post this? 😂
— Nolan Weeks (@nolanweeks26) March 1, 2026
Announcing that some humans accidentally stopped their watches faster than the real time is all time damage control lol https://t.co/6pbGqD0oQB
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) March 1, 2026
Now, no one can say for sure where Schefter received this information. For all we know, maybe a handful of teams went out of their way to mention this tidbit to Schefter independently of one another, which in turn made the NFL insider feel it was newsworthy.
But Schefter hasn’t shared similar anecdotes about other players’ 40 times differing from the official measurement throughout the combine. Again, Tate’s official time could’ve been significantly different from the team’s measurements, which would be newsworthy. But it’d seem more likely, and this is what people are taking exception to, that it is quite common for there to be measurement discrepancies between teams and the league. If that’s the case, it calls into question why Schefter would choose to publicize Tate’s discrepancy and not the discrepancies of other players.
