If you watched any of the NFL combine this past weekend, you probably saw some of the 40-yard dashes. Wide receivers were on Saturday, and the standout was West Virginia's Kevin White. White, who's 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, ran the 40 in a blistering 4.35.
NFL.com's Dan Jeremiah says that enforces his view that White is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver in the draft. He compares him to Julio Jones.
Also impressing were Alabama wideout Amari Cooper, who ran a 4.42, and Louisville's DeVante Parker (4.45). All figure to be first-round picks. The overall wide receiver class might not be as strong as last year's, considered to be among the best ever, but there should be some NFL and fantasy stars in this one, as well.
Those 40 times, though, shouldn't be overestimated. We've seen plenty of recent examples of speedy wideouts who were drafted early but proved unable to translate that straight-line speed into NFL success. Some players are drafted too early, perhaps due to those 40 times. Stephen Hill and A.J. Jenkins leap to mind.
The table below shows the 40 times of all wide receivers selected in the first three rounds of the draft over the last five years. Among the hits at or near the top of those performers are T.Y. Hilton, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. But there are a lot of what look like misses, too: Marquise Goodwin, Hill, Arrelious Benn.
The jury is still out on some of these players, but speed alone doesn't ensure difference-making NFL ability.
Wide receivers drafted in the first three rounds since 2010 are presented below, sorted by 40 times. Times denoted with an asterisk are for players who didn't run at the combine; they're from Pro Days or other workouts.
40s FROM DRAFTED WRs, 2010-2014 (ROUNDS 1-3) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Rd | Pk | Player | College | 40 time |
2013 | 3 | 78 | Marquise Goodwin | Texas | 4.27 |
2013 | 1 | 8 | Tavon Austin | West Virginia | 4.28 |
2012 | 2 | 43 | Stephen Hill | Georgia Tech | 4.28 |
2010 | 2 | 39 | Arrelious Benn | Illinois | 4.28 |
2014 | 1 | 20 | Brandin Cooks | Oregon State | 4.31 |
2013 | 1 | 29 | Cordarrelle Patterson | Tennessee | 4.33 |
2014 | 2 | 45 | Paul Richardson | Colorado | 4.33 |
2014 | 3 | 90 | Donte Moncrief | Mississippi | 4.34 |
2014 | 3 | 91 | John Brown | Pittsburg State (Kan.) | 4.34 |
2012 | 3 | 69 | T.J. Graham | North Carolina State | 4.34 |
2012 | 3 | 92 | T.Y. Hilton | Florida International | 4.34* |
2013 | 2 | 34 | Justin Hunter | Tennessee | 4.36 |
2012 | 1 | 30 | A.J. Jenkins | Illinois | 4.37 |
2013 | 2 | 59 | Aaron Dobson | Marshall | 4.37* |
2014 | 1 | 12 | Odell Beckham Jr. | Louisiana State | 4.38 |
2014 | 1 | 4 | Sammy Watkins | Clemson | 4.39 |
2011 | 1 | 6 | Julio Jones | Alabama | 4.39 |
2012 | 3 | 68 | DeVier Posey | Ohio State | 4.39 |
2014 | 2 | 56 | Cody Latimer | Indiana | 4.39* |
2012 | 1 | 13 | Michael Floyd | Notre Dame | 4.4 |
2013 | 3 | 79 | Markus Wheaton | Oregon State | 4.4 |
2010 | 3 | 90 | Taylor Price | Ohio | 4.4 |
2010 | 3 | 82 | Emmanuel Sanders | Southern Methodist | 4.41 |
2013 | 2 | 41 | Robert Woods | Southern California | 4.42 |
2010 | 2 | 60 | Golden Tate | Notre Dame | 4.42 |
2014 | 2 | 39 | Marqise Lee | Southern California | 4.43 |
2011 | 2 | 58 | Torrey Smith | Maryland | 4.43 |
2011 | 3 | 79 | Leonard Hankerson | Miami | 4.43 |
2014 | 2 | 42 | Jordan Matthews | Vanderbilt | 4.44 |
2014 | 1 | 7 | Mike Evans | Texas A&M | 4.46 |
2011 | 2 | 64 | Randall Cobb | Kentucky | 4.46 |
2014 | 3 | 86 | Josh Huff | Oregon | 4.46 |
2013 | 3 | 92 | Stedman Bailey | West Virginia | 4.46 |
2011 | 3 | 83 | Jerrel Jernigan | Troy (Ala.) | 4.46 |
2010 | 3 | 88 | Andre Roberts | The Citadel (S.C.) | 4.46 |
2012 | 1 | 5 | Justin Blackmon | Oklahoma State | 4.46* |
2012 | 2 | 45 | Alshon Jeffery | South Carolina | 4.47* |
2013 | 3 | 74 | Terrance Williams | Baylor | 4.48 |
2012 | 1 | 20 | Kendall Wright | Baylor | 4.49 |
2011 | 1 | 4 | A.J. Green | Georgia | 4.5 |
2011 | 1 | 26 | Jon Baldwin | Pittsburgh | 4.5 |
2012 | 2 | 33 | Brian Quick | Appalachian State (N.C.) | 4.5 |
2013 | 1 | 27 | DeAndre Hopkins | Clemson | 4.51 |
2010 | 1 | 22 | Demaryius Thomas | Georgia Tech | 4.52* |
2010 | 1 | 24 | Dez Bryant | Oklahoma State | 4.52* |
2012 | 2 | supp | Josh Gordon | Baylor | 4.52* |
2011 | 2 | 44 | Titus Young | Boise State | 4.53 |
2011 | 2 | 59 | Greg Little | North Carolina | 4.53 |
2010 | 3 | 77 | Damian Williams | Southern California | 4.53 |
2010 | 3 | 87 | Eric Decker | Minnesota | 4.54* |
2012 | 2 | 63 | Rueben Randle | Louisiana State | 4.55 |
2014 | 2 | 53 | Davante Adams | Fresno State | 4.56 |
2014 | 2 | 61 | Allen Robinson | Penn State | 4.57 |
2010 | 3 | 84 | Jordan Shipley | Texas | 4.57 |
2012 | 2 | 54 | Ryan Broyles | Oklahoma | 4.57* |
2010 | 2 | 36 | Dexter McCluster | Mississippi | 4.58 |
2013 | 3 | 76 | Keenan Allen | California | 4.58* |
2010 | 3 | 78 | Brandon LaFell | Louisiana State | 4.59 |
2014 | 1 | 28 | Kelvin Benjamin | Florida State | 4.61 |
2011 | 3 | 78 | Austin Pettis | Boise State | 4.61 |
2012 | 3 | 83 | Mohamed Sanu | Rutgers | 4.62 |
2011 | 3 | 82 | Vincent Brown | San Diego State | 4.71 |
2014 | 2 | 63 | Jarvis Landry | Louisiana State | 4.77 |
--Andy Richardson