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Will anyone be able to break the record set by John Ross?
With the NFL Combine taking place this week, and on-field drills beginning on Thursday, all eyes will be on a specific area of the field. 40 yards of field, to be exact.
The 40 yard dash draws all the attention at the NFL Combine, and this year will be no different. Those blades of grass between the 40 and the goal line could end up making or breaking an NFL Draft stock (whether it’s correct or not is the bigger question). Players have skyrocketed up draft boards by blazing incredibly fast 40 yard dash times, and while some of those work out (Seattle Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen comes to mind), sometimes the speed is a little misleading (John Ross, anyone?).
Players will be gunning for the record set by Ross in 2017, a 4.22 40 yard dash that put him in Combine immortality and the first round of that draft. Most of the time, people look towards the wide receivers and defensive backs to set those records or come close to breaking it. Of the top ten recorded times, eight of them played wide receiver or defensive back, so if you’re looking for a guy who can threaten the record, aim to watch the wide receivers and DBs run.
However, don’t sleep on the big guys. They might not threaten the record, but the front seven and offensive linemen will still post super impressive numbers. Last year, Philadelphia Eagles DT Jordan Davis lit the 40 yard dash on fire by running an official 4.78 40—at 341 pounds.
Not to be outdone, former Virginia Tech and current Carolina Panther EDGE Amare Barno ran the 40 yard dash in 4.39 seconds, an absurd time for a defensive linemen.
So before the first guy gets lined up, here are the top 40 yard dash times in NFL Combine history.
WR John Ross: 4.22 (2017)
CB Kalon Barnes: 4.23 (2022)
RB Chris Johnson: 4.24 (2008)
WR Rondel Menedez: 4.24 (1999)
RB Dri Archer: 4.26 (2014)
CB Tariq Woolen: 4.26 (2022)
WR Jerome Mathis: 4.26 (2005)
WR Marquise Goodwin: 4.27 (2013)
CB Stanford Routt: 4.27 (2005)
WR Henry Ruggs III: 4.27 (2020)
