The Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate found himself in the trollers’ feeds after his NFL Combine appearance in Indianapolis. His 4.53-second 40-yard dash broke all hell loose around the college football message boards. That’s 27th out of 34 participating wideouts. Not something you expect from the first wideout off the board, especially from WRU. Amid the scrutiny and haymakers, head coach Ryan Day finally decided to join the conversation about Tate’s 40-yard subpar time.

On March 2nd, Ryan Day hopped onto Jim Rome’s podcast and started by backing Tate, explaining the type of player Tate is and what he could become in the NFL.

“Carnell Tate’s a tremendous route runner. When you watch him get in and out of breaks, you know he’s special,” Ryan Day said. “He also, if you watch him block, he did a great job. So he’s a team player. His run after catch is excellent. He is a deep threat down the field. And the way he tracks a deep ball, I think his game translates very well to the NFL.”

His 3 years of college football production shows that his potential is very high, like any other Buckeye wide receiver who is thriving in the NFL right now. Day feels that only a small handful of people know what Tate can truly do.

But while the official laser clock might have said 4.53 or 4.54, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that several NFL executives officially clocked Tate between 4.45 seconds and 4.47 seconds on their personal stopwatches. When the league’s top insider confirms front offices are actively overriding the laser time, it proves that teams aren’t picking and choosing over a simple technical malfunction.

When Jim Rome asked about Tate’s 4.54-second 40-yard dash time or his speed in general, Day didn’t seem worried one bit.

“I know he’s fast, and I know, you know, there’s been very few people that he’s played against that’s been able to run with him down the field and with him in and out of breaks. And so, you know, the number one thing is to get open and catch the ball,” Ryan Day broke the silence on his 40 yard dash blunder. “He certainly can do that… There’s a lot of guys that, you know, it’s not a track meet, it’s a football game. And so when you put pads on him, and you put him in a game, he’ll be one of the fastest guys on the field.”

Day is on the money here because Tate’s never been a track star to begin with. Catching the pigskin almost everywhere on the field is his area of expertise. He cemented his spot as one of the best deep threats in college football over the last 2 seasons. Despite missing a few games with a calf injury here and there, he still hauled in 51 catches for 875 yards and reached the end zone 9 times in the 2025 season.

The Buckeye WR2 averaged over 17 yards every time he caught the ball, but what really set Tate apart this year was how fearsome and natural he was on long passes. The WRU graduate led the country with 6 touchdowns on deep balls (throws over 30 yards) and was incredibly reliable when the ball was in the air. Tate didn’t drop a single pass all season on 66 targets, hauling in 12 of 14 on 50/50 balls.

What’s even more absurd is that almost five of his nine touchdowns covered 40 or more yards. The highest among the wideouts, even above the likes of Biletnikoff winner Makai Lemon. Regardless, Carnell Tate is still an early first-rounder. Fortunately, he still has one more chance to prove himself when it comes to his speed.

Carnell Tate can have his vengeance on Ohio State’s Pro Day

What made his Combine day even worse was that a ‘hot mic’ caught Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane saying he probably wouldn’t take Carnell Tate early because of his speed. That one comment went viral and made it seem like his draft stock was tanking. But that wasn’t a leaked hot-mic blunder, but rather sarcastic banter during a live NFL Network broadcast.

Insiders suspect Beane was playing draft-day poker, joking about Tate’s speed while secretly hoping he slides to Buffalo’s 26th overall pick. Draft experts like Daniel Jeremiah aren’t sweating it at all. Just as Ryan Day highlighted, they argue that if you watch Tate’s college games, he never gets caught from behind. He basically argued that game speed is way more important than a track sprint in spandex.

Speed isn’t everything. Tate also gets a pass from many because he’s a technician from day one. The man’s an incredible route runner with a mesmerizing wingspan. Fans are quick to point out that superstars like Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp also ran a slow 40 yard dash, and they turned out just more than fine.

Keenan Allen also ran a slow 4.71 on his Pro Day. But Allen went on to become a cornerstone player for the chargers due to his elite route running and ability to create separation in short-to-intermediate areas. Fellow Buckeye Michael Thomas also ran a 4.55 on his Pro Day. But he also was known for his precise route running and physicality. Thomas used his frame to win matchups and become a solid option for the Saints for years.

In fact, some teams picking in the middle of the first round, like the Ravens or Browns, are probably crossing their fingers that this “bad” time scares other teams away so they can snag a star at a discount.

The bottom line is everyone is now circling March 25th on their calendars. That’s the Ohio State Pro Day, where Tate will get one more chance to run the 40 on his home turf. If he hits that 4.4 range there, the Combine drama will be forgotten. But if he struggles again or panics or slips once again, the slow label might stick, and he could end up losing a couple of million dollars by sliding down the draft board.