NFL Draft 40 times tracker: Who has the fastest 40-yard dash in 2021 draft class?

Jacob Camenker

NFL Draft 40 times tracker: Who has the fastest 40-yard dash in 2021 draft class? image

Every year in the lead-up to the NFL Draft, there is a fascination with the 40-yard dash of various prospects. Though the metric has little to do with the success of players at the pro level, football fans love speed and fast players. As such, 40 times are a big-time topic of conversation every year during the NFL Combine.

However, during the 2021 NFL offseason, there is no combine. The league decided not to host one this year due to concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event will likely be back next year, but with the event canceled, the 40-yard dash hasn't been on center stage as much as it has been in the past.

Still, prospects are performing the drill at their pro days and while the spotlight may not be as bright at those events, there certainly will be a certain element of pride for the fastest players in the 2021 NFL Draft. And needless to say, those top-gear competitors will want to outdo one another to earn more attention ahead of the draft.

MORE NFL DRAFT: SN's latest 2021 mock draft | Top 100 big board

Clocking a fast 40-yard dash doesn't guarantee that you'll have a successful NFL career. Just ask John Ross, who famously logged a 4.19-second 40-yard dash and went on to be the No. 9 pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. In four NFL seasons, Ross has played in 27 games and has just 51 catches for 733 yards. He does have 10 touchdowns, but he hasn't been the dynamic, Tyreek Hill-type deep threat that the Bengals hoped they were getting.

But hey, Ross still holds the NFL Combine record for the 40-yard dash, so he'll always have that. This offseason, the likes of Anthony Schwartz, Rondale Moore and Jaycee Horn will try to beat that record at their pro days. But will they succeed?

Below is a tracker of the fastest players as quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs run their 40s throughout the 2021 NFL offseason.

2021 NFL Draft 40 times

Below are the 20 fastest unofficial 40-yard dash times recorded during the 2021 NFL pro day circuit.

(The table will be updated as 40 times are recorded over the weeks leading up to the draft. Not all prospects will run a 40-yard dash).

Rank 40 Time Player Position School
1 4.26 Anthony Schwartz WR Auburn
2 4.29 Rondale Moore WR Purdue
T-2 4.29 Eric Stokes CB Georgia
4 4.33 Shi Smith WR South Carolina
5 4.35 Elijah Moore WR Ole Miss
T-6 4.37 Ambry Thomas CB Michigan
T-6 4.37 Jaycee Horn CB South Carolina
T-6 4.37 Simi Fehoko WR Stanford
T-9 4.38 Dee Eskridge WR Western Michigan
T-9 4.38 Tyree Gillespie DB Missouri
T-11 4.38 Nate Hobbs CB Illinois
T-11 4.38 Pooka Williams RB Kansas
T-11 4.38 Greg Newsome CB Northwestern
T-14 4.39 Jayson Oweh DE Penn State
T-14 4.39 Micah Parsons LB Penn State
T-16 4.40 Joseph Ossai DE Texas
T-16 4.40 Tre Brown CB Oklahoma
18 4.41 Rachad Wildgoose CB Wisconsin
T-19 4.42 Patrick Surtain II CB Alabama
T-19 4.42 Nico Collins WR Michigan
T-19 4.42 Divine Deablo S Virginia Tech
T-19 4.42 Paulson Adebo CB Stanford

NFL COMBINE RECORDS:
Top marks for 40-yard dash, bench press, other drills

Additionally, here are the five fastest 40 times for each position group from the 2021 NFL pro days.

(The tables will be updated as 40 times are recorded over the weeks leading up to the draft.)

  • Quarterbacks:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.44 Justin Fields Ohio State
1 4.65 Feleipe Franks Arkansas
2 4.78 Davis Mills Stanford
3 4.79 Mac Jones Alabama
4 4.93 Colin Hill South Carolina

* Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson didn't complete 40-yard dashes at their pro days.

  • Wide receivers:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.26 Anthony Schwartz Auburn
2 4.29 Rondale Moore Purdue
3 4.33 Shi Smith South Carolina
4 4.35 Elijah Moore Ole Miss
5 4.37 Simi Fehoko Stanford
  • Tight ends:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.44 Kyle Pitts Florida
2 4.6 Quintin Morris Bowling Green
3 4.61 Kyle Granson SMU
4 4.65 Hunter Long Boston College
  • Running backs:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.38 Pooka Williams Kansas
2 4.45 Travis Etienne Clemson
3 4.46 Khalil Herbert Virginia Tech
4 4.48 Chris Evans Michigan
5 4.51 Kylin Hill Mississippi State
  • Offensive linemen:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.84 Samuel Cosmi Texas
2 4.88 Rashawn Slater Northwestern
3 4.94 Spencer Brown Northern Iowa
4 4.95 Sadarius Hutcherson South Carolina
5 4.96 Quinn Meinerz Wisconsin-Whitewater
  • Linebackers:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.39 Micah Parsons Penn State
2 4.55 Shaka Toney Penn State
T-3 4.57 Derrick Barnes Purdue
T-3 4.57 Monty Rice Georgia
5 4.59 Nick Bolton Missouri
  • Defensive linemen:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.39 Jayson Oweh Penn State
2 4.4 Joseph Ossai Texas
T-3 4.62 Milton Williams Louisiana Tech
T-3 4.62 Azeez Ojulari Georgia
5 4.68 Tarron Jackson Coastal Carolina
  • Defensive backs:
Rank 40 Time Player School
1 4.29 Eric Stokes Georgia
T-2 4.37 Ambry Thomas Michigan
T-3 4.37 Jaycee Horn South Carolina
T-4 4.38 Nate Hobbs Illinois
T-4 4.38 Greg Newsome Northwestern
T-4 4.38 Tyree Gillespie Missouri

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.