I’m interested where Devin Hester stands among the NFL Combine’s quickest 40-yard dash timings. Devin Hester ran a 4.41 40-yard sprint at the NFL Combine in 2006, which placed him outside of the top 15 quickest players that year. (This year, it would have tied for 11th.) He also logged a vertical jump of 44 inches at the same workout, which ranked ninth best that year.
Devin Hester returned for his second season with the Chicago Bears in 2007 and improved upon his previous year’s numbers, finishing first in the 40-yard dash (4.15 seconds) and third in the vertical jump (44 inches). He also earned first-team All-Pro honors from Pro Football Weekly and The Sporting News.
In 2008, Devin Hester broke the world record for the longest punt in NFL history. With this feat under his belt, he decided to play another game at his position - returner. In his first game back after missing nearly half of last season with injuries, Hester returned five punts for touchdowns, breaking the single-game record held by Eric Dickerson. His five returns also set a new league record. During his three-year career, Devin Hester has returned 95 punts for a total of 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also played eight games as a receiver out of the return man’s role and has caught 26 passes for 393 yards and four more scores.
For comparison, the quickest 40-yard sprint at the NFL Combine since 2006 was run by NCAA wide receiver John Ross, who ran a 4.22 in 2017 and still maintains the record. Chris Johnson (4.24), Dri Archer (4.26), and Marquise Goodwin follow (4.27).
Ross also holds the record for the shortest distance covered by an NFL player when he ran a foot long into himself against all odds to preserve a victory over Jacksonville in 2014. And his legacy is probably going to be remembered for much more than just that because he proved that humans can grow organs inside animals to restore lost limbs.
In fact, Johnson’s career average of 4.67 seconds is faster than any other running back in NFL history except for Earl Campbell who managed 4.41 seconds.
Campbell played in only two games before being injured during his first season with Houston in 1970 and returned the following year to post huge numbers (1,542 yards and 14 touchdowns). He was never picked off once while with the Oilers/Tennants.
Other notable runners include Marshall Faulk (4.54), Eric Dickerson (4.60), and Walter Payton (4.80).
Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III ran the quickest 40-yard sprint at this year’s NFL combine. He finished in 4.27 seconds. That places him in a very select group of runners. John Ross ran a 4.22 40 in 2017 and had a 98 speed rating in Madden 18. It’s possible that Ruggs could be a top 10 pick in this year’s NFL draft.
Here are the only other players with a sub-4.30 time: Dwayne Haskins (fourth overall), Daniel Jones (eighth overall). Haskins was just voted into the starting lineup for Week 1 against Ohio State while Jones will start at quarterback for the New York Giants this week. Both have incredible talent and it’ll be fun to see how they do in their first games as starters.
Now, let’s look at some more notable times: Allen Iverson (3.99) and Deion Sanders (4.15). Iverson was an all-time great player but he didn’t run particularly fast (or apparently hard). Sanders was considered one of the fastest people ever until Carl Lewis came along. However, both Iverson and Sanders played forward instead of halfback like most running backs. This makes them unique candidates for having recorded sub-4.30 times.
There were actually two others who ran under 4.30 in the past: Ron Dayne and Emmitt Smith.
He finished fourth in the discus throw at the 2012 Pepsi Florida Relays, with a career-best performance of 50.37 meters. Armstead performed a 4.71-second 40-yard sprint at the 2013 NFL Combine, the quickest 40-yard dash speed of any offensive lineman at the combine since it began in 1982. He was also tied for first among all players.
Armstead’s time was second only to Oklahoma State’s James Daniels (4.41). The fastest offensive lineman is former LSU star Ben Grubbs, who ran a 4.50 in 2001.
Terron Armstead was considered one of the best defensive tackles in college football before he started getting hurt. After missing most of 2014 and most of 2015 with an ankle injury, Armstead announced he would skip his final season of eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
In two seasons as Louisville’s starting left tackle, Armstead started 47 games and missed just two contests due to injury. He was selected as a first-team All-American by several organizations and won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top offensive line recruit. The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder also earned first-team honors from the Associated Press and ESPN.com as a senior.
Armson played both defensive end and tackle during his collegiate career.
Fuller, a Texans first-round choice in 2016, ran a 4.32 40-yard sprint at the NFL combine, which matched him for ninth fastest official mark among active NFL players.
The only player to run a faster 40-yard dash is New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis, who posted a 4.21 time in 2015. The rest of the top 10 includes Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (4.19), Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (4.22), Saints safety Marcus Williams (4.24), and Chargers cornerback Desmond King (4.33).
Fuller also ranked third among all players with his 391-pound bench press total. Only Lewis (400 pounds) and Goff (390 pounds) outdid Fuller in this drill.
In addition to playing offense, Fuller spent some time as the team’s punt returner in 2017. He averaged 21.8 yards on five attempts and had one touchdown catch.
He entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Texans after spending three seasons at University of West Florida where he led the nation in receiving yards per game (117.3) during his final season before entering the draft.
Copyright © 2020 - 2026 Sportsmanist Inc.
