Carnell Tate is widely projected to be a top 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, his NFL combine results created a bit of a problem for him when his 40-yard dash created two separate results. Officials calculated Tate’s official time at 4.53 seconds, which placed him 27th out of 34 receivers who ran at the combine.

At the time of his 40-yard dash, Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane was in the NFL Network booth. Jokingly, he took a shot at the Buckeye WR’s performance.

“He’s pretty slow. I probably wouldn’t take him early. … Did you see how slow he was out of the gate? The corner’s gonna lock him down,” Beane said.

But in a major turn of events, multiple NFL evaluators, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, clocked Tate at 4.45-4.47 seconds. If this difference is actually true, it will move Tate up to approximately 20th in the group. And Beane can essentially forget about landing Tate with their No. 26 pick, as teams will already be drooling over him.

The buzz in Indianapolis centered on the idea that the official electronic time did not accurately reflect his speed. That in turn led to discussions about whether the official time would unjustly hurt his draft stock. Top teams like the Giants, that was projected with a No. 5 overall pick, or the Browns with a No. 6 pick, will significantly doubt Carnell Tate’s potential. And in the combine, 40-yard dash timings are the deciding factor in a player’s draft placements and career earnings.

Scouts consider a difference of just 0.04 seconds (for example, improving from 4.36 to 4.32) a “big difference” during live evaluations. And the Ohio State WR is handing in that exact 0.04-0.06 gap. And Brandon Beane is just making things worse for him. Moreover, Bean’s criticism carries a selfish reason of its own. As discussed, the Bills are holding the No.26 pick. And since Tate is a top receiver in the group, the Bills will definitely miss out on him.

Beane, with his comments, tried to push his draft slide down, making it mathematically possible for him to be available when Buffalo is on the clock without requiring a massive trade-up. If Tate slides into the mid-to-late teens (rather than the top 5), the cost for Beane to trade up becomes significantly cheaper. There are some crucial examples from the past. Beane has been aggressive in trading up for specific targets, such as Kaiir Elam (2022) and Dalton Kincaid (2023).

Since Elam was the first remaining cornerback with first-round grades, Beane traded the No. 25 and No. 130 (4th round) picks to Baltimore to move up to No. 23. Beane also viewed Kincaid as an “elite hands” weapon. That’s why he traded No. 27 and No. 130 (4th round) to Jacksonville to move to No. 25. And even though Carnell Tate’s draft stock didn’t slide, Brandon Beane may still try to attack his stock. 

Buffalo Bills’ desperation makes sense 

It’s completely true that the Bills desperately need a wideout like Carnell Tate. However, Tate himself expressed a desire to play alongside Josh Allen.

“I’d love to go play with Josh Allen. He can get you the ball. He’s experienced,” Tate said in the Down 2 Business podcast.

The receiver room lacks talent. Allen and McDermott led the team to seven straight playoff appearances. But that didn’t blossom into a playoff title. Present young receivers, such as Keon Coleman, have reportedly faced criticism from team leadership for slow development. Moreover, Tate is one of the most “sure-handed” prospects in the 2026 class. In 2025, he recorded 0 drops on 66 targets and maintained an elite 85.7% contested catch rate.

Scouts rave about his “rare polish” for his age, specifically his route-running nuance and ability to find voids in zone coverage. These traits align perfectly with offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s scheme. Plus, getting hold of Tate will be a long shot for the Bills. Mel Kiper has Tate ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the 2026 class. This means no amount of trading picks can help them out. On top of that, Carnell Tate doesn’t really have a favourite spot to land; he is okay with anything.

“I just want to go somewhere that’s targeting me, though. That’s all that I could ask for. Like the JSN targets he just got. The Puka Nacua targets. Where I go doesn’t really matter, it’s just about the [volume of targets],” Tate added.