Giants clearly aren’t done with Ohio State after Carnell Tate development

The New York Giants pulled out all the stops, sending everyone and their coworker’s spouse’s pet fish to Ohio State’s Pro Day on Wednesday. Head coach John Harbaugh was there, along with general manager Joe Schoen, assistant GM Brandon Brown, and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson (and some area scouts).

You don't bring out the wrecking crew unless something big is happening. And something big was happening.

Ohio State has three prospects the G-Men could realistically take with the fifth overall pick come draft night: linebacker Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs, and wide receiver Carnell Tate. So getting up close with them during their Pro Day was almost a requirement. Styles had an unreal NFL Combine performance. Downs is widely considered the best true football player in the class, but Tate hasn’t really separated himself the way the others have, and his underwhelming 40 at the combine didn't exactly help.

Regardless, Big Blue is clearly interested in seeing more of the 6-foot-2, 192-pounder, as confirmed by draft guru Ryan Fowler, who shared that Tate has scheduled a "30" visit with the Giants:

Giants send a message with Carnell Tate visit after Ohio State Pro Day

Tate might not have attempted to best his 4.54 40 time from the combine, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred New York from having interest in the wideout. He spoke to the media about not running again and pointed to other receivers around the league who’ve made it work without elite speed.

Let’s be real here, a fast 40 time doesn’t automatically make you a good receiver, especially in the pros. Just ask John Ross, Marquise Goodwin, and Jacoby Ford. All three ran sub-4.3 and still struggled to ever really turn it into consistent production.

Top-end speed or not, what Tate did show at his Pro Day was how easy everything looks for him as a route runner. Seemingly every ball from Julian Sayin had somewhere to go, and Tate made over-the-shoulder catches look routine. He was gliding out there, and you could tell he was feeling himself a bit too, calling himself the best route runner in the class and maybe even in the league after his performance.

At least we know he won't lack confidence.

The Giants have a lot to sort through over the next four weeks. Taking a closer look at a wide receiver of Tate's ability makes sense. Especially when 22-year-old franchise quarterback hopeful Jaxson Dart is ready for take off. Doing a little more homework for what could be his next go-to target is only going to help.