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Adam Schefter has managed to cement himself as one of the NFL’s premier insiders thanks to the many connections he’s made over the years. However, he’s also been accused of being a mouthpiece for the people he relies on for scoops, and he didn’t do much to try to beat those accusations with a post about the 40-yard dash time Carnell Tate posted at the NFL Combine.
Every player who’s invited to participate in the NFL Combine heads to Indianapolis hoping to boost their draft stock. They have plenty of opportunities do exactly that while partaking in the drills and interviews that serve as the foundation for the annual gathering, but they can also see their status take a hit if they fail to live up to expectations.
The combine consists of seven core drills, and none of them attracts more attention than the 40-yard dash. That’s a particularly crucial assessment for players at a position where speed reigns supreme, which is certainly the case for wide receivers.
That’s the role Carnell Tate filled while racking up 1,835 receiving yards and hauling in 14 touchdowns during his three seasons at Ohio State, and he was viewed as one of the best (if not the best) wideouts in this year’s draft before he headed to the NFL Combine last week.
However, he didn’t do himself any favors in the 40, and plenty of fans think his agent recruited Adam Schefter to do some damage control.
Adam Schefter strangely tried to spin the less-than-stellar 40-yard dash time Carnell Tate recorded at the NFL Combine
A total of 34 wide receivers got the chance to show off their wheels by running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine this year, and Mississippi State’s Brenan Thompson topped not only everyone at that position but every single person who stepped up to the line in Indy with a time of 4.26 seconds.
Tate, on the other hand, ended up as the 27th-ranked WR in the 40 after posting an official time of 4.53. It wasn’t a great look for a man who declined to participate in any other drills, and while there’s no telling if it will end up having a big impact on his draft stock (he was widely viewed as a first-round pick before he ran it), he definitely has some extra incentive to impress at his upcoming pro day.
He also had a notable name come to his defense on Sunday when Schefter sent out a tweet that asserted “several NFL executives and GMs” clocked Tate themselves and ended up with times between 4.45 and 4.47, which would have put him closer to 20th.
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, a potential top 10 pick, was timed by several NFL executives and GMs on Saturday with a 40 time in the range of 4.45-4.47 seconds.
Although the combine registers official times, teams always conduct their own timing, and those measurements with some…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2026
It was a fairly curious attempt to spin the outcome, as it sure seems like the laser-based system that’s used to determine times is more accurate than the manual methods that can fall victim to the human error it’s designed to eliminate.
A number of fans subsequently replied to accuse Schefter of serving as a mouthpiece for Drew Rosenhaus, the super agent who counts Tate among his clients. However, it’s worth noting he’s not the only person who relayed a similar message, as The Athletic also cited unnamed sources who suggested some teams in the hunt for the WR weren’t overly worried about his speed.
We’ll find out if that ends up being the case when the NFL Draft kicks off on April 23rd.