Outgoing Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate heard the murmurs after the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash time.
Coming into the Ohio State Pro Day on Wednesday, Tate could have taken another run at the 40. But he decided he would only participate in the receiver drills and let his body of work in two full seasons as a starter for the Buckeyes speak for itself.
Tate was among a dozen or so Ohio State players who made their final case for NFL scouts, coaches and front office personnel at the Pro Day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. There were well over 100 pro personnel on hand, but Tate said he did not get too caught up in trying to impress people.
"I wasn't nervous at all," he said. "At this point it's football, that's what I do best."
The 6-3, 195-pound Tate, a Chicago native, was a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2025. He missed three games due to injury, but still caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns as Jeremiah Smith's sidekick at wide receiver. In three years, he played in 39 games with 26 starts. As a sophomore in 2024, Tate helped the Buckeyes win the national championship as he caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged nearly 30 yards on his TD catches in 2025.
Tate is ranked as the No. 8 overall draft prospect overall and No. 2 wide receiver by CBSSports.com. CBSSports.com's Ryan Wilson has Tate going with third overall pick to the Buffalo Bills as part of a mock trade with the Arizona CardinalsAthlon Sports and ESPN.com's Field Yates have Tate going sixth overall to the Cleveland Browns. CBSSports.com's Mike Renner puts Tate at No. 8 overall to the New Orleans Saints.
"I have no idea where I'm going to land," said Tate, who still has in-person visits planned with several NFL teams prior to the draft.
Tate was asked if he was tempted to try and run the 40 and try and get down into the 4.4-second range.
"I ultimately did think about running it again but we just decided not to," Tate said. "No team has questioned me about my speed. I definitely think it can be overvalued. There are some great NFL wide receivers now like Puka (Nacua) and Jaxon (Smith-Njigba). They didn't run the fastest times, but they are the two best receivers in the league right now."
He added, "I'm a football player. I got the best route-running ability out there in the draft, probably in the country, even in the league. So, I just did what I do best while out there, run routes and catch the football."
Tate said he lamented missing three games in his junior year, but he said he still accomplished much of what he set out to do as a college player.
"I've had a very good Ohio State career," he said. "It could have been better, but ultimately it was in God's plan."
Tate is among five underclassmen who declared for the draft, along with LBs Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, safety Caleb Downs and DT Kayden McDonald.
"We are all happy for each other," Tate said. "We all talked about it in our freshman year when we were coming in. We talked about being able to go in the first round. We are all rooting for each other to go as high as possible."
OSU coach Ryan Day was like a proud papa watching his guys, including Tate, go through drills on Wednesday.
"He's a guy who's going to be a No. 1 wide receiver for some organization and somebody that has done it at a high level," Day said. "He's smooth, he's physical and he's going to be a guy that certainly can have an impact on Day 1 walking into a team."
Tate said he plans to attend the NFL draft, which is scheduled for April 24-26 in Pittsburgh.
Check out video of Tate's comments from Wednesday below.
We also have video of Tate working out at the Pro Day here.