Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell is widely considered to be the top receiver in the upcoming draft, and he'll probably be the first one drafted. Treadwell had an underwhelming combine performance that included not running the 40-yard dash, though, so there are some doubts about how highly he should be regarded.
There's been plenty of debate over the years about how much stock should be placed in 40 times. Plenty of guys who run sl0w 40s go on to have great careers, while plenty of speedsters flame out quickly in the NFL.
The history suggests 40 times should be considered when evaluating wideouts, though they aren't a guarantee of success. It doesn't ensure a guy will turn out well, nor does a lack of timed speed a guy can't be a star.
The table below shows the top-40 rookie seasons by wide receivers (in terms of yards) over the last 20 years. (OK, it's 41, to sneak Calvin Johnson in.) Of those players, 29 ran the 40 in under 4.5; so nearly three quarters. But the other dozen ran it between 4.5 and 4.8, and nearly all of those slower players have gone on to have (or seemingly will have) solid NFL careers.
Players are sorted by 40 times. Times marked with an asterisk were not official combine times; those players, like Treadwell, didn't run at Indianapolis, and numbers are taken from Pro Days or individual workouts.
| TOP ROOKIE RECEIVERS, 1996-2015 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rd | Player | Team | No | Yds | TD | 40 time |
| 1998 | 1 | Randy Moss | Minn. | 68 | 1313 | 17 | 4.25 |
| 1996 | 1 | Eddie Kennison | St.L. | 54 | 924 | 11 | *4.28 |
| 2001 | 2 | Chris Chambers | Mia. | 48 | 883 | 7 | 4.31 |
| 2009 | 3 | Mike Wallace | Pitt. | 39 | 756 | 6 | 4.33 |
| 2012 | 3 | T.Y. Hilton | Ind. | 50 | 861 | 7 | *4.34 |
| 2008 | 2 | DeSean Jackson | Phil. | 62 | 912 | 4 | 4.35 |
| 2006 | 1 | Santonio Holmes | Pitt. | 49 | 824 | 3 | *4.35 |
| 2004 | 1 | Roy Williams | Det. | 54 | 817 | 8 | 4.36 |
| 2014 | 1 | Odell Beckham Jr. | NYG | 91 | 1305 | 12 | 4.38 |
| 1996 | 1 | Marvin Harrison | Ind. | 64 | 836 | 8 | 4.38 |
| 2014 | 1 | Sammy Watkins | Buff. | 65 | 982 | 6 | 4.39 |
| 2008 | 2 | Eddie Royal | Den. | 91 | 980 | 5 | 4.39 |
| 2011 | 1 | Julio Jones | Atl. | 54 | 959 | 8 | 4.39 |
| 2004 | 1 | Lee Evans | Buff. | 48 | 843 | 9 | 4.39 |
| 2007 | 1 | Calvin Johnson | Det. | 48 | 756 | 5 | 4.4 |
| 1999 | 2 | Kevin Johnson | Clev. | 66 | 986 | 8 | *4.41 |
| 2003 | 1 | Andre Johnson | Hou. | 66 | 976 | 4 | *4.41 |
| 2009 | 1 | Percy Harvin | Minn. | 60 | 790 | 8 | 4.41 |
| 2015 | 1 | Amari Cooper | Oak. | 72 | 1070 | 6 | 4.42 |
| 2011 | 2 | Torrey Smith | Balt. | 50 | 841 | 7 | 4.43 |
| 2014 | 2 | Jordan Matthews | Phil. | 67 | 872 | 8 | 4.44 |
| 1999 | 1 | Torry Holt | St.L. | 52 | 788 | 6 | *4.44 |
| 2010 | 4 | Mike Williams | T.B. | 65 | 964 | 11 | 4.45 |
| 2014 | 1 | Mike Evans | T.B. | 68 | 1051 | 12 | 4.46 |
| 2012 | 1 | Justin Blackmon | Jac. | 64 | 865 | 5 | *4.46 |
| 1996 | 1 | Terry Glenn | N.E. | 90 | 1132 | 6 | 4.47 |
| 1996 | 1 | Keyshawn Johnson | NYJ | 63 | 844 | 8 | 4.47 |
| 2011 | U | Doug Baldwin | Sea. | 51 | 788 | 4 | *4.48 |
| 2009 | 1 | Jeremy Maclin | Phil. | 56 | 773 | 4 | 4.48 |
| 2011 | 1 | A.J. Green | Cin. | 65 | 1057 | 7 | 4.5 |
| 2013 | 1 | DeAndre Hopkins | Hou. | 52 | 802 | 2 | 4.51 |
| 2012 | 2 | Josh Gordon | Clev. | 50 | 805 | 5 | *4.52 |
| 2006 | 7 | Marques Colston | N.O. | 70 | 1038 | 8 | 4.54 |
| 2007 | 1 | Dwayne Bowe | K.C. | 70 | 995 | 5 | 4.57 |
| 2013 | 3 | Keenan Allen | S.D. | 71 | 1046 | 8 | *4.58 |
| 2014 | 1 | Kelvin Benjamin | Car. | 73 | 1008 | 9 | 4.61 |
| 2009 | 1 | Hakeem Nicks | NYG | 47 | 790 | 6 | 4.63 |
| 2004 | 1 | Larry Fitzgerald | Ariz. | 58 | 780 | 8 | 4.63 |
| 2004 | 1 | Michael Clayton | T.B. | 80 | 1193 | 7 | 4.67 |
| 2003 | 2 | Anquan Boldin | Ariz. | 101 | 1377 | 8 | 4.71 |
| 2014 | 2 | Jarvis Landry | Mia. | 84 | 758 | 5 | 4.77 |
--Andy Richardson