The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . 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 football 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 a currently-run race in track and field athletics, and is not a World Athletics–recognized race.
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. 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 player can run 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, this 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 (i.e. started by hand, stopped electronically) at the NFL Scouting Combine until 1999. For purposes of measurement at the Combine, the run is made along the sideline from the front of the end zone to the 40-yard line, and for electronically timed 40-yard dashes, the runner is allowed to start when they wish, and a timer hand-starts the clock.
In contrast, track and field races have the runner react to a starting gun. Elite male sprinters typically take 0.15 to 0.2 seconds (based on FAT timing) to react; further to this, IAAF rules state any runner with a reaction time of less than 0.1 second is subject to disqualification.
This aspect means that comparisons with track times are essentially impossible given that a reaction time is not factored in, and 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.
For example, Jacoby Ford, who ran 4.28 seconds in the 2010 NFL Combine, had a collegiate best of 6.51 s in the 60-meter dash (outside the top-00 of the all-time lists).60 Metres - men - senior - indoor. IAAF. Retrieved on May 29, 2013.
Though not a current event, the 40-yard dash was briefly contested at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships for women in 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, and 1932. It was never staged as a men's event. The fastest winning time, including reaction, was 5.2 (originally recorded as 5) seconds, first set by Rosa Grosse and later tied by Mary Carew twice.
Records In most settings, the 40-yard dash is conducted without fully automatic timing, where lasers are used at both the beginning and end of the race. Instead, the 40-yard dash is most often hand-timed, leading to considerable measurement error. Many (in particular older) reports of times below 4.2 or 4.3 are considered suspect, such as Baylor's Gerald McNeil's 4.19-second 40-yard dash in the 1980s before being signed to the United States Football League (USFL), or Deion Sanders's 4.27-second 40-yard dash in 1989. More recent examples include rugby union's Carlin Isles time of 4.22 at a Detroit Lions facility during a 2013 workout, and Texas Tech's Jakeem Grant being hand-timed by a New Orleans Saints scout at 4.1 in 2016.
Also unofficially, Bo Jackson, who was invited to the 1986 combine and declined, ran the 40 to show off for scouts at Auburn. Electronically, with a laser, he has said it measured 4.12, and by hand it was 4.16. "I got down there, and I took off and ran completely through. I just kept going right out the door and didn't come back." he was quoted after.
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. In 2024, University of Iowa sprinter Kalen Walker ran a 4.15 on turf during the halftime of a Hawkeyes football game. A year and a half after he retired from active competition, Usain Bolt ran a 4.22 in flat-soled shoes and a tracksuit at a promotional event for the Super Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia on February 2, 2019.
NFL Scouting Combine This is a list of the official 40-yard dash results of under 4.31 seconds recorded at the NFL Scouting combine since 1999, the first year electronic timing was implemented at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Time Name Height Weight Position College Year Draft 4.21 Xavier Worthy Wide receiverTexas2024No. 28 overall by Kansas City Chiefs 4.22 John Ross Wide receiver Washington 2017 No. 9 overall by Cincinnati Bengals 4.23 Kalon Barnes Cornerback Baylor 2022 No. 242 overall by Carolina Panthers 4.24 Chris Johnson Running back East Carolina 2008 No. 24 overall by Tennessee Titans Rondel Menendez Wide receiver Eastern Kentucky 1999 No. 247 overall by Atlanta Falcons 4.26 Dri Archer Running back Kent State 2014 No. 97 overall by Pittsburgh Steelers Jerome Mathis Wide receiver Hampton 2005 No. 114 overall by Houston Texans D. J. Turner Cornerback Michigan 2023 No. 60 overall by Cincinnati Bengals Tariq Woolen Cornerback UTSA 2022 No. 153 overall by Seattle Seahawks 4.27 Marquise Goodwin Wide receiver Texas 2013 No. 78 overall by Buffalo Bills Stanford Routt Cornerback Houston 2005 No. 38 overall by Oakland Raiders Henry Ruggs III Wide receiver Alabama 2020 No. 12 overall by Las Vegas RaidersLorenzo Styles Jr. Cornerback Ohio State 2026 No. 172 overall by New Orleans Saints 4.28 Champ Bailey Cornerback Georgia 1999 No. 7 overall by Washington Redskins Jacoby Ford Wide receiver Clemson 2010 No. 108 overall by Oakland RaidersMaxwell Hairston Cornerback Kentucky 2025 No. 30 overall by Buffalo Bills Jalen Myrick Cornerback Minnesota 2017 No. 222 overall by Jacksonville Jaguars J. J. Nelson Wide receiver UAB 2015 No. 159 overall by Arizona Cardinals Tyquan Thornton Wide receiver Baylor 2022 No. 50 overall by New England Patriots DeMarcus Van Dyke Cornerback Miami 2011 No. 81 overall by Oakland Raiders Nate Wiggins Cornerback Clemson 2024 No. 30 overall by Baltimore Ravens 4.29 Matthew Golden Wide receiver Texas 2025 No. 23 overall by Green Bay Packers Javelin Guidry Cornerback Utah 2020 Fabian Washington Cornerback Nebraska 2005 No. 23 overall by Oakland Raiders Zedrick Woods Safety Mississippi 2019 4.30 Jakorian Bennett Cornerback Maryland 2023 No. 104 overall by Las Vegas Raiders Deion Burks Wide receiver Oklahoma 2026 No. 254 overall by Indianapolis Colts Jamel Dean Cornerback Auburn 2019 No. 94 overall by Tampa Bay Buccaneers Yamon Figurs Wide receiver Kansas State 2007 No. 74 overall by Baltimore Ravens Darrius Heyward-Bey Wide receiver Maryland 2009 No. 7 overall by Oakland Raiders Tye Hill Cornerback Clemson 2006 No. 15 overall by St. Louis Rams Darien Porter Cornerback Iowa State 2025 No. 68 overall by Las Vegas Raiders Dont'e Thornton Jr. Wide receiver Tennessee 2025 No. 108 overall by Las Vegas Raiders Darrent Williams Cornerback Oklahoma State 2005 No. 56 overall by Denver Broncos
Average time by position According to a five-year NFL combine report, wide receivers and cornerbacks had the fastest average times at 4.48, followed by running backs at 4.49. The following average times were measured between 2000 and 2012 at the NFL combine for players who played at least 5 games.
Position Time Wide receiver 4.48 Cornerback 4.48 Running back 4.49 Free safety 4.53 Strong safety 4.55 Outside linebacker 4.60 Tight end 4.70 Inside linebacker 4.76 Fullback 4.80 Defensive end 4.80 Quarterback 4.93 Defensive tackle 5.06 Center 5.30 Offensive tackle 5.32 Offensive guard 5.37
References