Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate decided to skip a 40-yard dash repeat at his pro day Wednesday, pushing back on the notion that raw speed metrics should define a receiver's draft stock. Fair point. The 40 is overvalued—it always has been. A guy who runs a 4.5 can still create separation with footwork, body control, and instinct. But here's the tension: Tate didn't run it because he was confident, not because he was running from the number.
The Patriots, under Eliot Wolf's front office and Mike Vrabel's coaching staff, have been methodical about receiver investment. The current room includes DeMario Douglas as the clear starter, with young depth in Efton Chism III, Kayshon Boutte, and others still developing their games. It's a group that needs playmakers—not necessarily blazers. That actually favors someone like Tate if he's willing to stake his stock on tape rather than combine theater.
The risk is obvious: if scouts had questions about his athleticism heading into OSU's pro day, declining to run the 40 again reads as avoidance. Even if his combine time wasn't elite, a second chance to improve it would've answered the conversation. Instead, he's betting everything on the film and position drills. That's ballsy. It's also the kind of confidence that either looks visionary or delusional depending on draft day results.
For the Patriots specifically, this move shouldn't change their evaluation much. Vrabel's system doesn't ask receivers to win on pure speed—it asks them to understand leverage, sell routes, and move the chains. Douglas has thrived because he does those things well, not because he's a burner. If Tate has those attributes on tape, the lack of a second 40 time becomes irrelevant. If he doesn't, no amount of defiance changes that either.
The bigger question: where does he land? Teams looking for deep-threat upside might pass. Teams building around route efficiency and YAC upside will dig deeper. That's the calculus now.
Based on reporting from ESPN NFL.