The Best 40-Yard Dash Time Ever Recorded By A Player At Each Position At The NFL Combine

The NFL Combine features plenty of different events that give players the chance to showcase their talents to the franchises that descend upon Indianapolis for the annual gathering, but none of them garner as much attention as the 40-yard dash.

Paul Brown is widely credited as the inventor of the 40-yard dash, as the coach and co-founder of the Browns and the Bengals (the former takes its name from the Hall of Famer) whipped up the exercise in the 1940s to evaluate the speed of players with a focus on defending punt returns (40 yards was the average length of a punt at that point).

The 40-yard dash eventually became a staple of the NFL Combine, and it continues to serve as its premier event.

Prior to 1999, the NFL relied on hand-operated timing to quantify speeds in the 40-yard dash before adopting technology that now automatically causes the clock to stop when a player reaches the finish line (it’s still started by a human).

The times posted since that turning point are the only ones that are considered official, so here’s a look at the players who have officially run the fastest 40 in combine history at every single position.

Wide Receiver: Xavier Worthy—4.21 Seconds

In 2017, Washington WR John Ross posted the fastest 40-yard dash time in history with the 4.22 mark that surpassed the record of 4.24 that was previously shared by fellow wideout Rondel Menendez and a running back we’ll get to in a second.

However, Xavier Worthy set a new mark to beat in 2024 by edging him out at 4.21 seconds.

The Texas standout was selected by the Chiefs with the 28th pick, and he immediately emerged as their WR1 while trailing only Travis Kelce for the most receiving yards by a Kansas City player during his rookie season.

Cornerback: Kalon Barnes—4.23 Seconds

The list of the fastest 40-yard dash times is dominated by wide receivers and cornerbacks, and no one in that second category has been more impressive than Kalon Barnes.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear Barnes was a track star in high school before heading to Baylor to play football (he was initially a WR before pivoting to CB ahead of his sophomore season).

In 2022, the speedy defender topped the time of 4.27 seconds set by Stanford Routt by running the 40 in 4.23.

However, he wasn’t drafted until the Panthers scooped him up in the seventh round. He signed with six different NFL teams in the span of two years, but he never played in an actual game before inking a deal with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL prior to the start of the 2025 season.

Running Back: Chris Johnson—4.24 Seconds

You might think running backs are the group to beat in the 40-yard dash given the nature of that position, but the bulk that’s required to hold up against opposing defenses tends to put them at a disadvantage compared to the WRs and CBs who are usually a bit leaner.

With that said, there are plenty of RBs who’ve posted some impressive times in the 40—none of whom have been able to top East Carolina’s Chris Johnson, who set what was then an all-time record with a 4.24 in 2008.

Johnson went to the Titans in the first round with the 24th overall pick and spent the bulk of his 10-year career with Tennessee.

Safety: Zedrick Woods—4.29 Seconds

Zedrick Woods wasn’t exactly a highly-touted prospect after wrapping up his time at Ole Miss, but he managed to turn more than a few heads when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds in 2019.

That wasn’t enough for Woods to hear his name called during the ensuing draft, and while he signed with the Jaguars, he submitted his retirement papers before what would have been his rookie season got underway.

Quarterback: Michael Vick—4.33 Seconds

You definitely won’t be shocked to learn one of the most electric dual-threat QBs of all time holds the record for the fast 40-yard dash—one that stands close to 25 years after he set it.

Michael Vick probably would have still been selected with the first overall pick if he’d sat out the combine, but the Virginia Tech superstar was a full participant who posted a blistering time of 4.33 in the 40 in 2001.

The Falcons subsequently selected him with the top pick, and while his career was temporarily derailed by the whole “dog fighting” thing, he ended up playing in the NFL for 13 seasons.

Linebacker: Shaquem Griffin—4.38 Seconds

Shaquem Griffin initially made a name for himself at UCF, where he got plenty of attention for his stellar play while more than managing to overcome the congenital disorder that led to all of the fingers on his left hand being amputated when he was four years old.

He managed to set himself apart yet again at the combine in 2018 (he initially wasn’t even invited to participate). The fact that he managed to rattle off 20 reps on the bench press with the help of a prosthetic hand might have been his most impressive feat, and he certainly didn’t hurt his case by posting a time of 4.38 seconds in the 40.

Griffin was drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round and played three seasons before announcing his retirement in 2022.

Tight End: Vernon Davis—4.38 Seconds

Vernon Davis used the 2006 NFL Combine to cement himself as a freak of nature, as the 6’3″, 254-pound tight end out of Maryland put up 33 reps on the bench press and had a broad jump of 10’8″ (almost a foot more than the TE who posted the second-best total in that event).

He also blew away his peers in the 40-yard dash, as no tight end has been able to top his time of 4.38 seconds close to 20 years after he set the bar.

Davis went to the 49ers with the sixth overall pick and spent 14 years in the NFL during what has the potential to be a Hall of Fame career after he was nominated for the first time ahead of the induction of the Class of 2025.

Defensive Lineman: Montez Sweat—4.41 Seconds

You could argue defensive ends should be placed in a different category than the guys in the middle of the line, but I’m going to lump them together for the sake of simplicity.

There isn’t a single member of that group who’s had a more impressive 40-yard dash than Montez Sweat, who set a record that still stands with a time of 4.41 in 2019 (some fans would tell you Odafe Oweh and Amare Barno surpassed it with the 4.36 they respectively had in 2021 and 2022, but both of them are officially listed as OLBs).

The man who played the bulk of his college career at Mississippi State was drafted by Washington with the 26th overall pick, but he’s played for the Bears since being traded in 2023.

Punter: Jake Camarda—4.56

Speed tends to be one of the last metrics NFL teams are looking at when it comes to evaluating punters, but Jake Camarda still gave it his all while recording a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash in 2022—which was faster than nine WRs and the same number of RBs who ran it that year.

It’s safe to assume the Buccaneers were more concerned with what he could do with his right leg as opposed to both of them when they selected him in the fourth round of the draft.

The former Georgia Bulldog spent two-and-a-half seasons in Tampa Bay before being waved and is currently under contract with the Bills.

Offensive Lineman: Terron Armstead—4.71 Seconds

There aren’t many positions where speed matters less than playing on the offensive line, as there aren’t many scenarios where the guys who are primarily tasked with protecting the QB are going to need to turn on the Jets.

OLs nonetheless still run the 40, and none of them have done it quicker than Terron Armstead, the Big Ugly out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff who ran it in 4.71 seconds in 2013.

Armstead was drafted by the Saints in the third round and spent nine seasons in New Orleans before signing with the Dolphins, who he’s played for since 2022.

Kicker: Michael Badgley—4.94

There isn’t a single position where speed matters less than the placekickers who usually only need to use both of their legs if something goes horribly wrong.

Michael Badgley didn’t exactly blow the rest of the competition away when he ran the 40 in 4.94 seconds in 2018, but the Miami product still holds the record for the fastest time a kicker has put up.

He signed with the Colts after going undrafted and has been a member of the Lions since 2022.