Wide receivers ran the 40 at the NFL combine yesterday. It's a fun time, and a change after the combine was scrapped entirely a year ago, leaving us with only pro day times (which aren't uniform, and aren't as reliable). These are numbers that will absolutely affect when and where players are drafted at the end of next month.
A hint at why those pro day times are unreliable turns up in the variance between yesterday's "unofficial" times reported initially on Twitter and elsewhere versus the official ones, which came later. Baylor's Tyquan Thornton ran an unofficial 4.21, which would have been the fastest in history, breaking John Ross' 4.22. But his official time wound up being 4.28 -- still really fast, but not record-setting. Ohio State's Chris Olave was initially reported with a 4.26, and that was later changed to a 4.39. So best to wait for those official times before reporting anything (which didn't happen yesterday, raising the question of whether agents were the ones coming up with the unofficial ones).
Two of the top prospects, Southern Cal's Drake London and Alabama's Jameson Williams, didn't run. London, who fractured his ankle last October, says he'll run at his pro day. Williams tore his ACL in January. But four other potential first-rounders -- Olave, Garrett Wilson (pictured), Treylon Burks and George Pickens -- did.
The table below shows combine 40 times (and heights and weights) from those four players, and all first-round wide receivers from the last 15 years. Not shown are those who didn't run at the combine, in the interests of having apples to apples comparisons.
| FIRST-ROUND WRS, COMBINE 40S (2006-PRESENT) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | Ht | Wt | 40 |
| 2017 | 9 | John Ross | 5.11 | 188 | 4.22 |
| 2020 | 12 | Henry Ruggs | 5.11 | 198 | 4.27 |
| 2013 | 8 | Tavon Austin | 5.08 | 176 | 4.28 |
| 2009 | 7 | Darrius Heyward-Bey | 6.02 | 210 | 4.30 |
| 2016 | 21 | Will Fuller | 6.00 | 186 | 4.32 |
| 2015 | 29 | Phillip Dorsett | 5.10 | 185 | 4.33 |
| 2014 | 20 | Brandin Cooks | 5.10 | 189 | 4.33 |
| 2015 | 7 | Kevin White | 6.03 | 215 | 4.35 |
| 2007 | 2 | Calvin Johnson | 6.05 | 239 | 4.35 |
| 2012 | 30 | A.J. Jenkins | 6.00 | 200 | 4.37 |
| 2014 | 12 | Odell Beckham Jr. | 5.11 | 198 | 4.38 |
| 2022 | ? | Garrett Wilson | 6.00 | 183 | 4.38 |
| 2014 | 4 | Sammy Watkins | 6.01 | 211 | 4.39 |
| 2011 | 6 | Julio Jones | 6.03 | 220 | 4.39 |
| 2022 | ? | Chris Olave | 6.00 | 187 | 4.39 |
| 2012 | 13 | Michael Floyd | 6.03 | 225 | 4.40 |
| 2009 | 22 | Percy Harvin | 5.11 | 192 | 4.41 |
| 2018 | 24 | D.J. Moore | 6.00 | 210 | 4.42 |
| 2015 | 4 | Amari Cooper | 6.01 | 211 | 4.42 |
| 2015 | 20 | Nelson Agholor | 6.00 | 198 | 4.42 |
| 2013 | 29 | Cordarrelle Patterson | 6.02 | 220 | 4.42 |
| 2007 | 27 | Robert Meachem | 6.02 | 214 | 4.42 |
| 2020 | 22 | Justin Jefferson | 6.01 | 202 | 4.43 |
| 2018 | 26 | Calvin Ridley | 6.01 | 189 | 4.43 |
| 2020 | 15 | Jerry Jeudy | 6.01 | 193 | 4.45 |
| 2015 | 14 | DeVante Parker | 6.03 | 209 | 4.45 |
| 2014 | 7 | Mike Evans | 6.05 | 231 | 4.46 |
| 2020 | 21 | Jalen Reagor | 5.11 | 206 | 4.47 |
| 2022 | ? | George Pickens | 6.03 | 195 | 4.47 |
| 2009 | 19 | Jeremy Maclin | 6.01 | 198 | 4.48 |
| 2012 | 20 | Kendall Wright | 5.10 | 191 | 4.49 |
| 2011 | 4 | A.J. Green | 6.04 | 211 | 4.49 |
| 2007 | 30 | Craig Davis | 6.01 | 207 | 4.49 |
| 2020 | 17 | CeeDee Lamb | 6.02 | 198 | 4.50 |
| 2020 | 25 | Brandon Aiyuk | 6.00 | 205 | 4.50 |
| 2016 | 22 | Josh Doctson | 6.03 | 195 | 4.50 |
| 2011 | 26 | Jon Baldwin | 6.04 | 228 | 4.50 |
| 2013 | 27 | DeAndre Hopkins | 6.01 | 218 | 4.51 |
| 2019 | 32 | N'Keal Harry | 6.02 | 228 | 4.53 |
| 2022 | ? | Treylon Burks | 6.02 | 225 | 4.55 |
| 2007 | 23 | Dwayne Bowe | 6.02 | 221 | 4.57 |
| 2014 | 28 | Kelvin Benjamin | 6.05 | 240 | 4.61 |
| 2009 | 29 | Hakeem Nicks | 6.01 | 212 | 4.63 |
As the table makes clear, speed might help players get drafted earlier, but it doesn't necessarily translate into somebody being a good or great pro. Among the fastest times (4.35 or faster) are Kevin White, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Phillip Dorsett -- big deal. DeAndre Hopkins ran one of the slowest.
I'm interested in that Ohio State duo, Olave and Garrett Wilson. As ESPN points out, the last time a pair of college wide receiver teammates both ran sub-4.40 times, the duo was Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell, also out of Ohio State. The latter's career has been torpedoed by injuries.
As we've discussed previously, there might not be any first-round running backs, and there won't necessarily be a quarterback drafted in the top 10 (although I think there probably will be). But there might be a handful of first-round wideouts, including some guys who helped themselves yesterday.
--Andy Richardson