Ravens Might Catch Massive Break With Carnell Tate's Combine Result

Despite Zay Flowers being in the fold, wide receiver remains a position of big question marks for the Baltimore Ravens.

Pending Ravens free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins does not look like he will be back for a second season in Baltimore after his massively disappointing 2025 season, with just 330 yards. Rashod Bateman is also coming off a career-low season last year after signing a contract extension last June, and he only has 224 yards to show for it.

The NFL Combine was going to be the place where the Ravens would look for a wide receiver like USC's Makai Lemon, who has been a popular mock draft pick for Baltimore. That might have completely changed after Lemon had a good workout and projected top-10 pick Ohio State's Carnell Tate had a rough go at it, running a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, with some saying it might have been a 4.45-second run, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, but still not the time NFL teams were expecting.

Will Carnell Tate fall to the Ravens at 14?

Tate has been highly regarded as the best wide receiver in the NFL Draft after his solid last two years with the Buckeyes. He finished the 2025 season with 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine touchdowns. His explosive plays were frequent for Ohio State, as he averaged 17.2 yards per reception.

Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The slow time at the combine has now put Tate behind the eight ball, and he must blow it out of the water for his Pro Day to get back on track for being in the top 10. A more important note is that the 40-time is just part of the reason Tate could drop, as there were some incredible performances at the combine, with speed being the story of the weekend at positions like wide receiver, tight end, edge rusher, cornerback, and more.

Baltimore might face an interesting reality that, because each position in the draft is so deep, teams in the top 10 might pass on Tate to get one of the speedy, athletic defenders. If the Ravens are facing a situation where Tate is available, they must select him with no hesitation.

Putting Flowers in the slot and having Bateman and Tate on the outside would change the whole dynamic of the offense for Baltimore. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson would arguably have his best wide receiver group yet and could elevate the passing game to new heights.

There will be many Ravens fans watching Ohio State's Pro Day to see how it goes, but a new hope that there's an outside shot Tate drops to 14 is becoming more of a reality.

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