The NFL Combine’s 40 Yard Dash Tracker is a remarkable piece of technology, designed to accurately capture each athlete’s running time.
But, well, that’s only if the numbers are in line with expectations—especially when the player in question is a prominent prospect.
Recently, ESPN’s Adam Schefter faced some backlash after he reported on Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate’s 40-yard dash time, noting that some teams had recorded slightly better times than the official figure announced by the league.
According to Schefter, Tate, who is 21, clocked in between 4.45 and 4.47 seconds per NFL executives and GMs. This is quite a bit faster than his official time of 4.52 seconds.
In a post on social media, Schefter mentioned, “Potential top-10 prospect Ohio State WR Carnell Tate was timed by several NFL executives and GMs on Saturday and posted 40 times in the 4.45 to 4.47 second range.”
He added, “Although the combine records official times, teams always keep their own measurements, and some of those were lower than the 4.52 seconds.”
It didn’t take long for social media users to poke fun at Schefter, suggesting he might be trying to placate Tate’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, with a more favorable spin on what was ultimately a disappointing performance.
Others voiced concerns about insiders endorsing team-timed numbers over the league’s standardized measurements, which are meant to ensure consistency in tracking all participants.
It remains a bit unclear where Schefter sourced his information, and he may have had access to various teams’ numbers that contributed to his report.
However, it’s worth noting that Schefter hasn’t reported similar discrepancies for other players’ times, which raises some eyebrows.
This doesn’t mean those kinds of differences aren’t present, nor does it suggest that Tate’s timings are out of line with the notable gap between team and league measurements.
Still, it’s definitely intriguing that the only highlighted case involves a likely top-10 pick who fell short of what many expected.
