Here are the 40-yard-dash times from the NFL Scouting Combine for some Cleveland Browns players. An asterisk means that it was a pro-day time, which are considered to be inflated by college teams to make their players look better.
Note: the 2021 combine was cancelled by the NFL due to COVID-19 fears. So, Anthony Schwartz never got a chance to break the record as he claims he would have.
4.27 – Anthony Schwartz (WR)*
4.32 – Denzel Ward (CB)
4.37 – Greedy Williams (CB)
4.38 – JoJo Natson (WR)
4.39 – Grant Delpit (S)
4.39 – Greg Newsome II (CB)
4.40 – Ja’Marcus Bradley (WR)
4.44 – Malcolm Smith (LB)*
4.48 – Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR)
4.50 – A.J. Green (CB)
4.53 – Nick Chubb (RB)
4.53 – Jadeveon Clowney (DE)
4.54 – M. J. Stewart (S)
4.55 – Troy Hill (CB)
4.56 – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB)*
4.57 – Myles Garrett (DE)
4.58 – Demetric Felton (RB)
4.59 – Takkarist McKinley (DE)
4.60 – Jamie Gillan (P)*
4.61 – John Johnson III (S)
4.62 – Kareem Hunt (RB)
4.63 – Ronnie Harrison, Jr. (S)
4.63 – Sione Takitaki (LB)
4.64 – Rashard Higgins (WR)
4.64 – David Njoku (TE)
4.65 – Anthony Walker (LB)
4.65 – Mack Wilson (LB)*
4.69 – Elijah Lee (LB)
4.71 – Stephen Carlson (TE)
4.72 – Austin Hooper (TE)
4.72 – Case Keenum (QB)
4.72 – Ifeadi Odenigbo (DE)
4.73 – Harrison Bryant (TE)
4.77 – Jarvis Landry (WR)
4.79 – Richard LeCounte (S)
4.81 – D’Ernest Johnson (RB)*
4.81 – Andy Janovich (FB)
4.81 – Baker Mayfield (QB)
4.85 – Malik McDowell (DT)
4.97 – Tommy Togiai (DT)
5.00 – Jack Conklin (OT)
5.05 – Jedrick Wills Jr. (OT)
5.24 – Wyatt Teller (G)
Here are some times for notable players:
4.22 – John Ross (WR, Bengals, Giants) (Combine record)
4.22 – Usain Bolt (impromptu performance at 2019 Super Bowl)
4.28 – Marvin Hall (WR) (Browns 2020, Patriots 2021)
4.29 – Tyreek Hill (WR, Chiefs)
4.29 – Deion Sanders (CB, Falcons, Cowboys)
4.31 – Andy Isabella (WR, Cardinals)
4.33 – Mecole Hardman (WR, Chiefs)
4.34 – Lamar Jackson* (QB, Ravens, as reported by his coach at Louisville)
4.38 – Kyler Murray (QB, Cardinals)
4.38 – Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi* (KR, former Brown, clocked by Browns coach)
4.40 – Saquon Barkley (RB, Giants)
4.40 – Walter Payton (RB, Bears)* (Time claimed by Google with no proof.)
4.43 – Odell Beckham, Jr (WR)
4.44 – Justin Fields (QB, Bears)*
4.46 – Stefon Diggs (WR, Bills)
4.47 – Antonio Brown (WR, Buccaneers)
4.49 – Christian McCaffrey (RB, Panthers)
4.54 – Derrick Henry (RB, Titans)
4.75 – Josh Allen (QB, Bills)
4.80 – Patrick Mahomes (QB, Chiefs)
5.28 – Tom Brady (QB, Patriots, Buccaneers)
5.60 – Bernie Kosar (QB, Browns 1985–1993)
Bo Jackson claims to have run 4.13 at an Auburn pro-day, but there is no proof.
Some players decline to run the 40 because they are worried that it will negatively impact their draft prospects.
The fastest players, of course, are the wide receivers (4.48) – and the cornerbacks who cover them are just as fast. Offensive linemen are the slowest, but they are probably quite a lot faster than you are! For a breakdown by position, see this page.
Usain Bolt famously ran his forty in sweatpants and a tee shirt. With proper running gear, he undoubtedly would have put up a better time.
Nobody else runs the 40-yard dash. It’s not a standard track distance; it’s not in the Olympics, etc. So, it is hard to compare NFL speedsters to non-football athletes.
The closest thing to the 40-yard dash is the 100-meter dash, which is more than twice as long. If the NFL spread some cash around, and sponsored the 40-yard dash at track meets, they could probably make it more popular. After all, it is an event that can help the athletes who run it make quite a lot of money. The NFL could kick off (ha,ha) the campaign by inviting some top sprinters to the Combine and have them run some exhibition races against players. How cool would that be?
In any case, here are some notable 100-meter times:
9.58 – Usain Bolt – 2009 IAAF World Championships – Berlin – current record
9.81 – Usain Bolt – 2016 Olympics – Rio de Janeiro
9.92 – Carl Lewis – 1988 Olympics – Seoul
10.30 – Jesse Owens – 1936 Olympics – Berlin
10.37 – DK Metcalf (WR, Seahawks, story here)
10.49 – Florence Griffith Joyner – 1988 – (fastest woman ever)
10.49 – Denzel Ward (WR, Browns, high-school time)
10.51 – Andy Isabella (WR, Cardinals, high-school time, though he once beat Ward)
10.72 – Sha’Carri Richardson (kicked out of Tokyo Olympics in 2021)
10.94 – Caitlyn Jenner – 1976 Olympic Decathlon – Montreal
The record for footspeed is 27.78 mph held by Usain Bolt.
Your pet cat might be able to beat Bolt. House cats can hit 30mph. But just try to get them to run in a straight line!
A Ferrari 458 Italia covers 100 meters in 4.95 seconds.
While running “in space” in the NFL, a player can adjust his angle to out-run a faster pursuer. At the 8:34 mark of this video, you see Nick Chubb (4.53) outrunning four Bengals as follows:
#22 – 4.43 – Chidobe Awuzie – CB
#24 – 4.53 – Vonn Bell – S
#21 – 4.55 – Mike Hilton – CB
#55 – 4.63 – Logan Wilson – LB