Texas wideout Xavier Worthy ran a 4.21 40 at the combine, breaking the record of 4.22 established by John Ross in 2017. That's probably enough to get Worthy into the first round of the draft later this month, though it does not ensure NFL success.
Donte Stallworth also ran a 4.22 in 2002, although times from the earliest days of electronic timing generally aren't viewed as reliably. Prior to 2000, 40 times were all hand-timed, and those are viewed even more skeptically. Bo Jackson, famously, ran a 4.12 back in 1985, and then in 1998 Joey Galloway ran a 4.18. Maybe they'd have done the same under current electronic methods; we'll never know for sure.
For now, we'll stick with electronic timing. How have previous top performers in the 40 fared in the NFL?
I looked at all wideouts selected in the first three rounds of the draft this century, sorted by 40 times at the combine. (For apples-to-apples comparison, I only used electronic combine 40s -- not pro days, and no hand-timed numbers.)
There have been 43 wide receivers drafted in the first three rounds since 2000 who ran a 4.35 or faster. Of those 43 wideouts, eight have had a top-10 fantasy season (PPR) at some point in their career. Six others (including Stallworth) at least had a top-25 season.
About half (20 of 43), however, are in the John Ross category -- never ranking in the top 60 at their position. That includes five players regularly mentioned among the bigger busts from this century: Ross, R. Jay Soward, Kevin White, Phillip Dorsett and Henry Ruggs (extenuating circumstances in that one).
Table shows those 43 wideouts, sorted by 40 time, with the numbers from their career-best season listed. Those with a top-25 campaign are in bold, and worth noting that a lot of the better seasons came from the (comparatively) slower guys (Stallworth was the lone sub-4.3 guy with a top-25 season). Height and weight numbers are also shown.
| WIDE RECEIVERS RUNNING 4.35 OR FASTER SINCE 2000 (RD 1-3) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Rd | Player | Ht | Wt | 40 | No | Yds | TD | Rk |
| 2017 | 1 | John Ross, Cin. | 5.11 | 188 | 4.22 | 28 | 506 | 3 | 74 |
| 2002 | 1 | Donte Stallworth, N.O. | 6.00 | 197 | 4.22 | 70 | 945 | 7 | 23 |
| 2013 | 3 | Marquise Goodwin, S.F. | 5.09 | 179 | 4.27 | 56 | 962 | 2 | 31 |
| 2020 | 1 | Henry Ruggs, L.V. | 5.11 | 188 | 4.27 | 24 | 469 | 2 | 86 |
| 2013 | 1 | Tavon Austin, St.L. | 5.08 | 176 | 4.28 | 52 | 473 | 10 | 27 |
| 2010 | 2 | Arrelious Benn, T.B. | 6.01 | 219 | 4.28 | 30 | 441 | 3 | 81 |
| 2012 | 2 | Stephen Hill, NYJ | 6.04 | 215 | 4.28 | 21 | 252 | 3 | 97 |
| 2022 | 2 | Tyquan Thornton, N.E. | 6.02 | 181 | 4.28 | 22 | 247 | 3 | 98 |
| 2009 | 1 | Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oak. | 6.02 | 210 | 4.30 | 64 | 975 | 4 | 28 |
| 2007 | 3 | Yamon Figurs, Balt. | 5.11 | 174 | 4.30 | 1 | 36 | 2 | 142 |
| 2001 | 1 | Santana Moss, Was. | 5.10 | 181 | 4.31 | 84 | 1483 | 9 | 6 |
| 2017 | 2 | Curtis Samuel, Car. | 5.11 | 196 | 4.31 | 77 | 851 | 5 | 24 |
| 2019 | 2 | Parris Campbell, Ind. | 6.00 | 205 | 4.31 | 63 | 623 | 3 | 48 |
| 2009 | 3 | Deon Butler, Sea. | 5.10 | 182 | 4.31 | 36 | 385 | 4 | 74 |
| 2019 | 2 | Andy Isabella , Ari. | 5.09 | 188 | 4.31 | 21 | 224 | 2 | 114 |
| 2022 | 3 | Velus Jones, Chi. | 6.00 | 204 | 4.31 | 7 | 107 | 2 | 126 |
| 2016 | 1 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 6.00 | 186 | 4.32 | 53 | 879 | 8 | 32 |
| 2007 | 3 | Jason Hill, S.F. | 6.00 | 204 | 4.32 | 30 | 317 | 2 | 84 |
| 2002 | 2 | Tim Carter, NYG | 6.00 | 190 | 4.32 | 22 | 253 | 3 | 90 |
| 2006 | 2 | Chad Jackson, N.E. | 6.01 | 213 | 4.32 | 13 | 152 | 3 | 105 |
| 2019 | 2 | DK Metcalf, Sea. | 6.03 | 228 | 4.33 | 83 | 1303 | 10 | 7 |
| 2001 | 2 | Chris Chambers, Mia. | 6.00 | 210 | 4.33 | 82 | 1118 | 11 | 8 |
| 2009 | 3 | Mike Wallace, Pitt. | 6.00 | 199 | 4.33 | 72 | 1193 | 8 | 9 |
| 2014 | 1 | Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 5.10 | 189 | 4.33 | 78 | 1173 | 8 | 10 |
| 2014 | 2 | Paul Richardson, Sea. | 6.00 | 183 | 4.33 | 44 | 703 | 6 | 39 |
| 2019 | 2 | Mecole Hardman, K.C. | 5.10 | 187 | 4.33 | 59 | 693 | 2 | 47 |
| 2015 | 1 | Phillip Dorsett, N.E. | 5.10 | 185 | 4.33 | 29 | 397 | 5 | 71 |
| 2022 | 3 | Danny Gray, S.F. | 6.00 | 186 | 4.33 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 206 |
| 2018 | 2 | DJ Chark, Jac. | 6.03 | 199 | 4.34 | 73 | 1008 | 8 | 18 |
| 2014 | 3 | John Brown, Buff. | 5.10 | 179 | 4.34 | 72 | 1060 | 6 | 20 |
| 2014 | 3 | Donte Moncrief, Ind. | 6.02 | 221 | 4.34 | 64 | 733 | 6 | 37 |
| 2003 | 2 | Tyrone Calico, Ten. | 6.04 | 223 | 4.34 | 18 | 297 | 4 | 86 |
| 2012 | 3 | T.J. Graham, Buff. | 6.02 | 210 | 4.34 | 31 | 322 | 1 | 88 |
| 2000 | 1 | R. Jay Soward, Jac. | 5.10 | 177 | 4.34 | 14 | 154 | 1 | 102 |
| 2006 | 3 | Willie Reid, Pitt. | 5.10 | 188 | 4.34 | 4 | 54 | 0 | 157 |
| 2007 | 1 | Calvin Johnson, Det. | 6.05 | 239 | 4.35 | 122 | 1964 | 5 | 1 |
| 2002 | 1 | Javon Walker, G.B. | 6.03 | 210 | 4.35 | 89 | 1382 | 12 | 3 |
| 2008 | 2 | DeSean Jackson, Phil. | 5.10 | 169 | 4.35 | 62 | 1156 | 12 | 10 |
| 2019 | 3 | Terry McLaurin, Was. | 6.00 | 208 | 4.35 | 77 | 1191 | 5 | 16 |
| 2007 | 3 | Mike Sims-Walker, Jac. | 6.02 | 209 | 4.35 | 63 | 869 | 7 | 24 |
| 2015 | 3 | Chris Conley, Jac. | 6.02 | 213 | 4.35 | 47 | 775 | 5 | 44 |
| 2008 | 3 | Andre Caldwell, Cin. | 6.00 | 204 | 4.35 | 51 | 432 | 3 | 65 |
| 2015 | 1 | Kevin White, Chi. | 6.03 | 215 | 4.35 | 19 | 187 | 0 | 123 |
I don't believe Worthy should be lumped with previous speedy disappointments. His college production was better, and more consistent, than most of them. Though overshadowed by Bijan Robinson his first couple of seasons at Texas, Worthy was productive in all three years, catching 60-plus passes in each and then going over 1,000 yards last year. Phillip Dorsett, as a for instance, reached 40 receptions in just one of his college seasons. Stephen Hill never did; nor did another lightning-fast Texas product, Marquise Goodwin. Those guys got a huge draft boost from their speed more than their actual football skills.
More reasonable to compare him to the faster guys who were reliable parts of their passing games. Brandin Cooks put up huge numbers his last two seasons at Oregon State, while Santana Moss averaged 50 catches and put up better total numbers in each successive season at Miami. Worthy, similarly, matches his speed with college production. He was Texas' leading receiver all three seasons, and last year caught at least 5 passes eight times, including the Big 12 championship win. He doesn't look like just a guy running wind sprints. Plenty of plays where he's taking short throws and making sharp cuts to leave defenders in their tracks.
The speed helps, and should ensure he doesn't get out of the first round. He's probably not going in the top 10 (he visited with the Bears this week, currently sitting at No. 9), but someone will take the chance on Thursday night. Definitely a guy I'll be interested in; shows the qualities to land with the NFL hits rather than the misses among these faster wideouts.
--Andy Richardson