Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate ran the 40-yard dash in a slower-than-expected 4.53 seconds at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane – who was joining NFL Network’s coverage of the event during Tate’s run – took a moment to advocate for the 21-year-old to slide a bit in the 2026 NFL Draft.
‘He’s pretty slow,’ Beane joked. ‘Probably wouldn’t take him early.’
Beane’s quip was met with riotous laughter from Rich Eisen and Daniel Jeremiah, who were in the midst of their third day manning the booth at the combine.
Their reaction prompted Beane to continue with his bit – at the expense of Tate.
‘Did you see how slow he was out of the gate?’ Beane said, tongue-in-cheek. ‘Corner’s gonna lock him down.’
Tate’s official 40 time ranked 27th among 34 receivers to run at the combine. That said, ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted several NFL talent evaluators timed him as faster, with the Ohio State product’s times checking in between 4.45 and 4.47 seconds.
Such results would place Tate either tied for 20th or 21st among the receiver group.
Regardless of Tate’s time, he is expected to be off the board well before Buffalo’s No. 26 overall selection. The Ohio State product is a consensus top-10 pick and was projected to go No. 5 overall to the New York Giants in USA TODAY Sports’ latest first-round mock draft.
Still, Beane’s witticism highlighted the Bills’ offseason goal of adding receiver talent around Josh Allen. Buffalo’s second-round pick from 2024, Keon Coleman, hasn’t yet become the consistent weapon the team had hoped for, and many are wondering whether he will return to the Bills after owner Terry Pegula criticized him early in the offseason.
That’s one of the many reasons the Bills have routinely been projected to select a receiver with their 2026 first-round pick.
