The NFL Combine and 40-yard dash times go hand in hand. It's the most well-known testing that goes on at the annual pre-draft event.
Apparently, though, it can sometimes lead to confusion and disagreement, like in the case of the 40 time for Ohio State superstar WR Carnell Tate.
Tate is expected to be a first-round pick, potentially even the first wideout off the board, but his 40-yard dash time was just a bit below what everyone expected.
It's not as simple as a single number, though.
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What is Carnell Tate's 40 time?
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Carnell Tate's 40-yard dash time at the 2026 NFL Combine was measured officially at **4.52 seconds.**
But there's more than one stopwatch on the event.
Carnell Tate 40 time controversy
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Teams aren't as concerned about the 4.52 than some might have expected, because teams had Tate timed faster.
The official stopwatch, according to multiple reports, may have been a tad off base.
[ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote](https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/2028135314796003575) this on X:
"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 teams were lower than his clocked 4.52."
It's a miniscule difference, and for Tate, it may not matter much anyway.
He's fast on film and clearly a top-notch prospect.
It must still help confidence of teams just a bit to know he's actually in the 4.4 range rather than the 4.5 area, at least on some watches.
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