Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Carnell Tate benefited greatly from internal politics in the NFL's news media apparatus. Tate apparently owes a thank-you to his super-agent, Drew Rosenhaus, for allegedly getting fake news spread about his 40-yard dash time (4.52).
ESPN's Adam Schefter said that Tate's 40 “was timed by several NFL executives and GMs on Saturday with a 40 time in the range of 4.45-4.47 seconds.” Pro Football Network's Mike Florio essentially said outright that Schefter was lying to preserve one of his top sources for rumors, Rosenhaus.
As Florio noted, this was far from the lowest Schefter has gone in his career. To Buckeye fans, this isn't all that low at all, though to other receivers, this deliberate lying about Tate's performance is blatantly offensive.
"If some teams had Tate a couple of hundredths of seconds faster than his official time, some may have had him a couple of hundredths of a second slower. It all comes down to whether they clicked at the right time, both times," Florio prefaced before saying, "Which is why the Scouting Combine does not rely on hand-based timing for the start and the finish. (That said, the Scouting Combine still uses a hand-based start with a laser finish; the best approach would be to use an electronic start and an electronic finish.)
"The broader point, as addressed by (Awful Announcing's Drew Lerner), is that some are seeing through Schefter’s “report” as an effort to do a favor for Tate’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus. It’s part of the gig, and it’s something that — to the trained eye — is instantly recognizable. 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.
"While not as problematic as proclaiming Deshaun Watson’s innocence after he was not indicted in 2022 or a one-sided presentation of domestic violence allegations against former NFL running back Dalvin Cook, the formula is the same, for plenty of folks who rely on agents for information."
On Wednesday, Shefter fired back with receipts for Florio:
Just to prove you’re wrong, again. pic.twitter.com/6xmfFhotqy
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2026
For the conspiracy folks, there isn't any name or number attached to these messages. Then again, Schefter wasn't about to dox a source to score points in an argument with Florio.
Carnell Tate's draft future will be unclear until April 23
Tate's projections are all over the place now. Some say he isn't a top-five pick anymore. Some say he's not a first-half-of-the-first-round pick anymore. Few are daring to say he'll fall below that, though that's not a realistic view of the situation.
Where Tate goes is truly anyone's guess. There are now legitimate questions about his athleticism translating to the highest level as a WR1. Some front offices and scouts are understanding why Jeremiah Smith got all of the hype in Columbus at the position.
There's nuance missing. Like the memories of what Tate did on downfield bombs all year with Julian Sayin, and with Will Howard in 2024 during Ohio State's national championship run. But it's understandable to see these narratives.
Until April 23, 2026, it's tough to know what these narratives will mean for his future in the NFL.