Wide receiver is historically one of the fastest positions in the NFL. Eight of the fastest 10 active players in the NFL are wide receivers. The other two are a cornerback and running back. The position continues to be the fastest in the NFL, as several players ran faster than a 4.40 at their 2021 pro days. In this article, I’ll look at the fastest wide receiver 40-yard dash times ever recorded at the NFL Combine.
Fastest wide receiver 40-yard dash times ever
There is plenty of elite speed at the wide receiver position, although one player stands above the rest.
John Ross, Washington (2017 NFL Combine): 4.22 40-yard dash
At the 2017 NFL Combine, John Ross ran a 4.22 40-yard dash. This isn’t only the fastest 40-yard dash time for a receiver, but it’s also the fastest 40-time for any player recorded with electric timing.
Ross hasn’t been able to parlay his speed into a successful NFL career. He’s posted 62 receptions for 957 yards and 11 touchdowns on 143 targets. Ross had his most successful campaign in 2019, although he’s struggled in his other seasons.
NFL players with elite 40-yard dash times
There are a few other receivers in the NFL with elite 40-yard dash times. Marquise Goodwin ran 4.27, and Tyreek Hill posted a 4.29 40-yard dash at his pro day. Curtis Samuel, Andy Isabella, and Parris Campbell have all flashed elite speed as well, as they each recorded 4.31 times.
2021 wide receiver 40-yard dash times (pro days)
There was no NFL Combine for the 2021 NFL Draft class, as it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, all of the players worked out at their pro days. This skews the data slightly, but it’s important that we still have the results available.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Anthony Schwartz posted the fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.27 seconds. Rondale Moore was only slightly behind him at 4.28 seconds. The speed of the class was elite, with Ja’Marr Chase, Elijah Moore, D’Wayne Eskridge, Rashod Bateman, Kadarius Toney, Terrace Marshall Jr., Racey McMath, and Jacob Harris all posting a 4.40 or better.
The slowest receiver in the class was DeVontres Dukes (4.81 seconds). Damonte Coxie, Jaylen Harris, and Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman were all only slightly faster than him.
More notable 40-yard dash wide receiver times
Wide receiver is one of the fastest positions on the field, although the position doesn’t need speed to find success. Successful players have posted varying times during their 40-yard dashes.
Davante Adams is generally seen as one of the best receivers in the NFL. He struggled with speed at the NFL Combine, though, posting a 4.56 40-yard dash. Cooper Kupp found even less success, recording a 4.62 40-time at the 2017 Combine.
Other current NFL players’ times are as follows: DeAndre Hopkins (4.57), Deebo Samuel (4.48), Odell Beckham Jr. (4.43), Justin Jefferson (4.43), and Stefon Diggs (4.46).
Jerry Rice, arguably the best wide receiver in NFL history, struggled with the 40-yard dash. He only posted a 4.71 second time, although some suggest this isn’t true. With that being said, there are plenty of receivers throughout history that boasted elite speed. Randy Moss recorded a 4.25 40-time, while Calvin Johnson posted a 4.35 time. Here are a few other retired players’ times: Michael Irvin (4.52), Terrell Owens (4.45), Torry Holt (4.38), and Andre Johnson (4.41).
2022 NFL Scouting Combine
What is the 40-yard dash?
The 40-yard dash is an electronic-timed sprint covering 40 yards. It is run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of football players by teams at the NFL Scouting Combine. While WRs, RBs and DBs typically have the fastest times, the 40-yard dash is considered an important Combine event for all positions.
- Overall
- 40-Yard Dash
- Bench Press
- Vertical Jump
- Broad Jump
- 20-Yard Shuttle
| 4.83 | Austin Allen | TE | Nebraska |
| 4.60 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | Brigham Young |
| 4.39 | Jalyn Armour-Davis | CB | Alabama |
| 4.32 | Calvin Austin | WR | Memphis |
| 4.43 | Kevin Austin | WR | Notre Dame |
| 4.45 | Tyler Badie | RB | Missouri |
| 4.23 | Kalon Barnes | CB | Baylor |
| 4.68 | David Bell | WR | Purdue |
| 4.63 | Daniel Bellinger | TE | San Diego State |
| 4.66 | Slade Bolden | WR | Alabama |
| 4.94 | Thomas Booker | DT | Stanford |
| 4.59 | Kennedy Brooks | RB | Oklahoma |
| 4.64 | Leddie Brown | RB | West Virginia |
| 4.55 | Montaric Brown | CB | Arkansas |
| 4.54 | Coby Bryant | CB | Cincinnati |
| 4.55 | Treylon Burks | WR | Arkansas |
| 5.00 | Matthew Butler | DT | Tennessee |
| 4.62 | Grant Calcaterra | TE | Southern Methodist (TX) |
| 4.99 | Zachary Carter | DT | Florida |
| 4.38 | Tariq Castro-Fields | CB | Penn State |
| 4.38 | Ty Chandler | RB | North Carolina |
| 4.90 | Jack Coan | QB | Notre Dame |
| 4.59 | Snoop Conner | RB | Mississippi |
| 4.42 | James Cook | RB | Georgia |
| 4.75 | Dustin Crum | QB | Kent State (OH) |
| 5.22 | D.J. Davidson | DT | Arizona State |
| 4.78 | Jordan Davis | DT | Georgia |
| 4.48 | Tyrion Davis-Price | RB | Louisiana State |
| 4.62 | DaiJean Dixon | WR | Nicholls State (LA) |
| 4.43 | Jahan Dotson | WR | Penn State |
| 4.65 | Dontario Drummond | WR | Mississippi |
| 4.69 | Greg Dulcich | TE | UCLA |
| 4.38 | Decobie Durant | CB | South Carolina State |
| 4.52 | Jerrion Ealy | RB | Mississippi |
| 4.43 | Trestan Ebner | RB | Baylor |
| 4.39 | Kaiir Elam | CB | Florida |
| 5.62 | Noah Elliss | DT | Idaho |
| 4.53 | Martin Emerson | CB | Mississippi State |
| 4.87 | Kingsley Enagbare | DE | South Carolina |
| 4.46 | Akayleb Evans | CB | Missouri |
| 5.41 | Neil Farrell | DT | Louisiana State |
| 4.81 | Jake Ferguson | TE | Wisconsin |
| 4.48 | DaMarcus Fields | CB | Texas Tech |
| 4.46 | Jerome Ford | RB | Cincinnati |
| 4.53 | Ty Fryfogle | WR | Indiana |
| 4.41 | Ahmad Gardner | CB | Cincinnati |
| 5.07 | Haskell Garrett | DT | Ohio State |
| 4.52 | Mario Goodrich | CB | Clemson |
| 4.42 | Tyler Goodson | RB | Iowa |
| 4.52 | Kyler Gordon | CB | Washington |
| 4.33 | Danny Gray | WR | Southern Methodist (TX) |
| 4.54 | Vincent Gray | CB | Michigan |
| 4.70 | Jeffrey Gunter | DE | Coastal Carolina (SC) |
| 4.39 | Breece Hall | RB | Iowa State |
| 4.88 | Logan Hall | DT | Houston |
| 4.80 | Peyton Hendershot | TE | Indiana |
| 5.28 | Christopher Hinton | DT | Michigan |
| 4.85 | Curtis Hodges | TE | Arizona State |
| 4.74 | Aidan Hutchinson | DE | Michigan |
| 4.53 | Keaontay Ingram | RB | Southern California |
| 4.58 | Jermaine Johnson | DE | Florida State |
| 4.60 | Johnny Johnson | WR | Oregon |
| 4.62 | Josh Johnson | WR | Tulsa (OK) |
| 4.52 | Jack Jones | CB | Arizona State |
| 4.92 | Travis Jones | DT | Connecticut |
| 4.31 | Velus Jones | WR | Tennessee |
| 4.58 | Zonovan Knight | RB | North Carolina State |
| 5.00 | DeMarvin Leal | DT | Texas A&M |
| 4.48 | Chase Lucas | CB | Arizona State |
| 4.89 | Jesse Luketa | DE | Penn State |
| 4.53 | Boye Mafe | DE | Minnesota |
| 4.39 | Damarri Mathis | CB | Pittsburgh |
| 4.33 | Zyon McCollum | CB | Sam Houston State (TX) |
| 4.60 | Sincere McCormick | RB | Texas-San Antonio |
| 4.50 | Roger McCreary | CB | Auburn |
| 4.44 | Trent McDuffie | CB | Washington |
| 4.34 | Bo Melton | WR | Rutgers |
| 4.41 | Skyy Moore | WR | Western Michigan |
| 4.50 | Jalen Nailor | WR | Michigan State |
| 4.55 | David Ojabo | DE | Michigan |
| 4.39 | Chris Olave | WR | Ohio State |
| 4.37 | Isaih Pacheco | RB | Rutgers |
| 4.77 | Josh Paschal | DE | Kentucky |
| 5.30 | Jayden Peevy | DT | Texas A&M |
| 4.65 | EJ Perry | QB | Brown (RI) |
| 4.58 | Kyle Philips | WR | UCLA |
| 4.47 | George Pickens | WR | Georgia |
| 4.73 | Kenny Pickett | QB | Pittsburgh |
| 4.41 | Alec Pierce | WR | Cincinnati |
| 4.59 | Dameon Pierce | RB | Florida |
| 4.59 | Makai Polk | WR | Mississippi State |
| 4.38 | DVonte Price | RB | Florida International |
| 4.84 | Brock Purdy | QB | Iowa State |
| 4.57 | Charleston Rambo | WR | Miami (FL) |
| 4.52 | Desmond Ridder | QB | Cincinnati |
| 5.30 | John Ridgeway | DT | Arkansas |
| 4.60 | Ronnie Rivers | RB | Frenso State (CA) |
| 4.53 | Brian Robinson | RB | Alabama |
| 4.72 | Dominique Robinson | DE | Miami (OH) |
| 4.44 | WanDale Robinson | WR | Kentucky |
| 4.48 | Braylon Sanders | WR | Mississippi |
| 4.67 | Myjai Sanders | DE | Cincinnati |
| 4.43 | Khalil Shakir | WR | Boise State |
| 4.86 | Tyreke Smith | DE | Ohio State |
| 4.48 | Chris Steele | CB | Southern California |
| 4.37 | Pierre Strong | RB | South Dakota State |
| 4.81 | Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa | DE | Notre Dame |
| 4.36 | Alontae Taylor | CB | Tennessee |
| 4.38 | Cam Taylor-Britt | CB | Nebraska |
| 4.42 | Isaac Taylor-Stuart | CB | Southern California |
| 4.58 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | DE | Oregon |
| 4.70 | Isaiah Thomas | DE | Oklahoma |
| 4.40 | Josh Thompson | CB | Texas |
| 4.91 | Skylar Thompson | QB | Kansas State |
| 4.28 | Tyquan Thornton | WR | Baylor |
| 4.49 | Jalen Tolbert | WR | South Alabama |
| 4.76 | Cole Turner | TE | Nevada |
| 4.51 | Tre Turner | WR | Virginia Tech |
| 4.38 | Kenneth Walker | RB | Michigan State |
| 4.51 | Travon Walker | DE | Georgia |
| 4.68 | Jermaine Waller | CB | Virginia Tech |
| 4.55 | Jaylen Warren | RB | Oklahoma State |
| 4.36 | Christian Watson | WR | North Dakota State |
| 4.51 | Jaylen Watson | CB | Washington State |
| 4.48 | Sam Webb | CB | Missouri Western |
| 4.42 | Isaiah Weston | WR | Northern Iowa |
| 4.48 | Rachaad White | RB | Arizona State |
| 4.40 | Zamir White | RB | Georgia |
| 4.65 | Devon Williams | WR | Oregon |
| 4.53 | Joshua Williams | CB | Fayetteville State |
| 4.65 | Kyren Williams | RB | Notre Dame |
| 5.08 | Tre Williams | DE | Arkansas |
| 4.38 | Garrett Wilson | WR | Ohio State |
| 4.89 | Perrion Winfrey | DT | Oklahoma |
| 4.61 | Jelani Woods | TE | Virginia |
| 4.55 | Michael Woods | WR | Oklahoma |
| 4.26 | Tariq Woolen | CB | Texas-San Antonio |
| 4.57 | Mykael Wright | CB | Oregon |
| 4.77 | Devonte Wyatt | DT | Georgia |
| 4.88 | Bailey Zappe | QB | Western Kentucky |