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| [[Darrius Heyward-Bey]] || {{convert|6|ft|2|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} || {{convert|210|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} || Wide receiver || [[Maryland Terrapins football|Maryland]] || [[2009 NFL Draft|2009]] || No. 7 overall by Oakland Raiders
| [[Rodney Heyward-Bey]] || {{convert|6|ft|2|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} || {{convert|210|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} || Wide receiver || [[Maryland Terrapins football|Maryland]] || [[2009 NFL Draft|2009]] || No. 7 overall by Oakland Raiders
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Darrius Heyward-Bey - WR - Maryland - 2009 NFL Combine Results|url=http://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Darrius&l=Heyward-Bey&i=8229|publisher=NFL Combine Results}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Darrius Heyward-Bey - WR - Maryland - 2009 NFL Combine Results|url=http://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Darrius&l=Heyward-Bey&i=8229|publisher=NFL Combine Results}}</ref>
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Revision as of 16:49, 8 November 2018

Athletics
40-yard dash
World records
MenUnited States Christian Coleman 4.12 (2017)
WomenUnited States Christie Pearce 4.70[citation needed]

The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering 40 yards (36.58 m). It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football. This was traditionally only true for the "skill" positions such as running back, wide receiver, and defensive back, although now a fast 40-yard dash time is considered important for almost every position. The 40-yard dash is not an official race in track and field athletics and is not an IAAF-recognized event.

The origin of timing football players for 40 yards comes from the average distance of a punt and the time it takes to reach that distance.[1] Punts average around 40 yards in distance from the line of scrimmage, and the hangtime (time of flight) averages approximately 4.5 seconds. Therefore, if a coach knows that a player runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, he will be able to leave the line of scrimmage when a punt is kicked, and reach the point where the ball comes down just as it arrives.

Timing method and track comparisons

In terms of judging a person's speed, the best method of timing is through lasers which start and stop the times when passed through. A laser start (from a stationary position) is more accurate for measuring pure speed as it does not register a runner's reaction time. However, the method of timing a 40-yard dash can affect the accuracy by as much as 0.5 seconds (with the manual stopwatch method). The National Football League (NFL) did not begin using partial electronic timing (started by hand, stopped electronically) at the NFL Scouting Combine until 1999.[2] [3] For purposes of measurement at the Combine, the run is made along the lower sideline from the 40 yard-line to the end zone, which has built-in rundown space.

In track and field races, the runner must react to the starting gun, which takes approximately 0.24 seconds, based on FAT timing. A runner with a reaction time less than .100 is subject to disqualification as that is deemed too fast of a reaction time. In contrast, for electronically timed 40-yard dashes, the runner is allowed to start when he wishes, and a timer hand-starts the clock. This aspect means that comparisons with track times are impossible given that a reaction time is not factored in. Furthermore, the use of hand-timing in the 40-yard dash can considerably alter a runner's time; the methods are not comparable to the rigorous electronic timing used in track and field.

Jacoby Ford, who ran a 4.28 s in the 2010 NFL Combine, had a collegiate best of 6.51 s in the 60-meter dash (outside the top-40 of the all-time lists).[4] This highlights the difficulties in comparing track running times to football 40-yard times due to the different timing methods.[4]

Records

Auburn's Bo Jackson claims to have run a 40-yard dash with a time of 4.13 s.[5][6] A time of 4.18 run by Jackson within the same week added some support to the legitimacy of the times.[7][8] Texas Tech's Jakeem Grant was hand-timed by a New Orleans Saints scout as running a 4.10 in 2016, potentially beating Jackson's record.[9] Deion Sanders ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash in 1989.[10]

In 2013, Carlin Isles recorded a time of 4.22 at a Detroit Lions facility during a workout.[11]

In 2017 Olympic sprinter Christian Coleman ran a time of 4.12 seconds on turf in response to claims that NFL players are as fast as Usain Bolt.[12]

Records at the NFL Scouting Combine

This is a list of the official 40-yard dash results of 4.30 seconds or better recorded at the NFL Scouting combine since 1999, the first year electronic timing was implemented at the NFL Scouting Combine.[13][14]

Time Name Height Weight Position College Year Draft R
4.22 John Ross 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 190 lb (86 kg) Wide receiver Washington 2017 No. 9 overall by Cincinnati Bengals [15]
4.24 Rondel Menendez 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) 192 lb (87 kg) Wide receiver Eastern Kentucky 1999 No. 247 overall by Atlanta Falcons
Chris Johnson 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 192 lb (87 kg) Running back East Carolina 2008 No. 24 overall by Tennessee Titans
4.26 Jerome Mathis 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 184 lb (83 kg) Wide receiver Hampton 2005 No. 114 overall by Houston Texans
Dri Archer 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) 173 lb (78 kg) Running back Kent State 2014 No. 97 overall by Pittsburgh Steelers
4.27 Stanford Routt 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 193 lb (88 kg) Cornerback Houston 2005 No. 38 overall by Oakland Raiders
4.28 Champ Bailey 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) 192 lb (87 kg) Cornerback Georgia 1999 No. 7 overall by Washington Redskins
Jacoby Ford 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) 190 lb (86 kg) Wide receiver Clemson 2010 No. 108 overall by Oakland Raiders
Jalen Myrick 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) 200 lb (91 kg) Cornerback Minnesota 2017 No. 222 overall by Jacksonville Jaguars [16]
J. J. Nelson 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) 156 lb (71 kg) Wide receiver UAB 2015 No. 159 overall by Arizona Cardinals [17]
DeMarcus Van Dyke 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 187 lb (85 kg) Cornerback Miami 2011 No. 81 overall by Oakland Raiders
4.29 Fabian Washington 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 188 lb (85 kg) Cornerback Nebraska 2005 No. 23 overall by Oakland Raiders
4.30 Darrent Williams 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) 176 lb (80 kg) Cornerback Oklahoma State 2005 No. 56 overall by Denver Broncos
Tye Hill 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) Cornerback Clemson 2006 No. 15 overall by St. Louis Rams
Yamon Figurs 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 174 lb (79 kg) Wide receiver Kansas State 2007 No. 74 overall by Baltimore Ravens
Rodney Heyward-Bey 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) 210 lb (95 kg) Wide receiver Maryland 2009 No. 7 overall by Oakland Raiders [18]

Average time by position

According to a five-year NFL combine report, wide receivers and cornerbacks had the fastest average times at 4.55, followed by running backs at 4.59. The following average times were measured between 2008 and 2012 at the NFL combine.[19]

Position Time
Wide receiver 4.55
Cornerback 4.55
Running back 4.59
Safety 4.62
Outside linebacker 4.74
Tight end 4.77
Fullback 4.80
Inside linebacker 4.80
Quarterback 4.87
Defensive end 4.88
Defensive tackle 5.13
Center 5.30
Offensive tackle 5.32
Offensive guard 5.36

References

  1. ^ MacCambridge, Michael (2005). America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation (1st ed.). New York: Anchor Books. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-375-72506-7. Intent on building a fast team, [Paul Brown in the mid-1940s] began timing players in the 40-yard dash, rather than the 100, reasoning that the 40 was a more meaningful measure of true football speed, about the distance a player would cover on a punt.
  2. ^ "isbn:0345545141 - Google Search". books.google.com.
  3. ^ Davenport, Gary. "How Are 40-Yard Dash Times Recorded?". bleacherreport.com.
  4. ^ a b 60 Metres - men - senior - indoor. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-05-29.
  5. ^ Rothstein, Matthew (29 February 2016). "Bo Jackson Talking About His 4.13 40-Yard-Dash Is A Reminder Of How Superhuman He Was". Uproxx.com.
  6. ^ Tanier, Mike (16 July 2015). "NFL Urban Legends: Bo Jackson and the Too-Fast-to-Be-True 40-Yard Dash". BleacherReport.com.
  7. ^ Based on Cooney, Frank (23 February 2008). "Combine 40-yard times -- Nothing is official". The Sports Xchange. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: postscript (link), plus updates.
  8. ^ Cooney, Frank (24 February 2008). "With 40-yard dash times, nothing's quite 'official'". USA Today.
  9. ^ Haislop, Tadd (11 March 2016). "Texas Tech's Jakeem Grant clocked at 4.10 in 40-yard dash". SportingNews. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  10. ^ Hessler, Warner (23 April 1989). "NFL General Managers Moan About Another Diluted Draft". Daily Press. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Detroit Lions sign rugby player Carlin Isles to practice squad". Daily News. New York. 26 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Olympic sprinter shows up John Ross". USA Today. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Top Performers 2006-2011". 16 July 2011.
  14. ^ Cooney, Frank (1 March 2011). "Officially, Van Dyke is combine's fastest player". USA Today.
  15. ^ "John Ross III runs 40-yard dash in record 4.22 seconds at NFL Combine". Sportsnet. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Jalen Myrick Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  17. ^ "NFL on Twitter". Twitter. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  18. ^ "Darrius Heyward-Bey - WR - Maryland - 2009 NFL Combine Results". NFL Combine Results.
  19. ^ Topher Doll (12 February 2013). "Some Clarification is in Order: Average Speed by Position". MileHighReport.com.