Carnell Tate at 2026 NFL Combine Measurements, Highlights and Reaction

Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate continued to make a strong case to be the first receiver selected in the 2026 NFL draft despite posting a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at Saturday's NFL combine.

According to Daniel Jeremiah's updated top 50 big board rankings, Tate climbed two spots from his initial list to No. 7 overall, projecting as the first wide receiver off the board.

Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department has Tate penciled in to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13 overall in its latest mock draft.

There are also rumblings from ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projecting Tate to go No. 6 overall to Cleveland, which owns two first-round picks.

Tate capped his final season with the Buckeyes with nine touchdown receptions, totaling 51 catches for 875 yards, further solidifying his status as one of the draft's premier pass-catching prospects.

Tate's measurements were as follows:

• Height: 6'2¼"
• Weight: 192 pounds
• Hand Size: 10¼ inches
• Arm Length: 31¾  inches
• Wingspan: 78 inches

Tate's official results were as follows:

• Dash: 4.53
• Split: 1.61

Tate stumbled slightly on his first 40-yard dash attempt but was not called back and still posted a 4.54-second time.

On his second attempt, Tate recorded an official 4.53-second 40-yard dash, the eighth slowest time among the 2026 wide receiver participants.

Despite holding the No. 21 pick, Tate formally met with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the combine, per PennLive's Nick Farabaugh and expressed a strong desire to reunite with former Ohio State national championship teammate, quarterback Will Howard, at Acrisure Stadium.

"Will's my guy," Tate told reporters. "All me and Will do is joke around with each other. We call each other, we make fun of each other. So, yeah, it's a great relationship with Will. I miss him. It would be great to catch passes from Will. I've done it before so we'd go out there and continue to laugh and joke with each other."

The Steelers would likely need to trade up and make significant moves to land the wide receiver and reunite the former Buckeyes teammates.