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 |
