Schefter Posts Insider Texts on Carnell Tate 40-Yard Dash Time amid Controversy from NFL Combine

Carnell Tate is one of the top wide receiver prospects heading into the 2026 draft, but his 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine has generated some headlines beyond the actual time itself.

Tate was officially clocked at 4.53 seconds, according to NFL.com's draft profile page. However, ESPN's Adam Schefter pointed out several teams had a faster time for the Ohio State product.

Schefter looked to back that point up Wednesday in response to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio with several screenshots from league insiders:

Schefter's response came after Florio wrote "some are seeing through Schefter's 'report' as an effort to do a favor for Tate's agent, Drew Rosenhaus. … Did Schefter canvass multiple teams for their numbers, or did he simply copy and paste a text from Rosenhaus? Given the way the insider sausage gets made, the far safer bet is the latter."

Ultimately, the teams that are evaluating Tate will decide on which time they want to use when making their decisions. He will also have another opportunity to run faster at Ohio State's pro day, which will provide clubs with yet another data point in the evaluation.

The 40-yard dash time drew plenty of attention, but he will surely still be one of the first wide receivers taken on draft day.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected him as the No. 8 overall pick and first wide receiver selected in its most recent mock draft with the New Orleans Saints choosing him. That would give quarterback Tyler Shough another go-to option in the offense alongside Chris Olave and perhaps bring more explosiveness to the NFC South team.

Olave was the only wide receiver to even reach the 500-yard mark for the Saints last season, underscoring the need to add another playmaker on the outside.

Carnell Tate TD

00:13

Tate is also someone who is accustomed to being a secondary option after playing alongside Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. during his collegiate career with the Buckeyes and would be well-suited to taking advantage of open space when opposing secondaries focus too much attention on Olave.

His scouting report from B/R highlighted his "savvy and crafty route-running profile" and his "body control and ball skills to attack the football in flight."

That skill set may make more of a difference in his draft fate than a couple hundredths of a second on his 40-yard dash time.

Even if those hundredths of a second have caused some consternation in the sports media sphere.