If the home run is everyone’s favorite play in baseball, the breakaway, speeding deep ball or carry to the house might be the NFL’s equivalent.
There is nothing quite like watching a player take off down the sideline or through the middle of the field at blazing speeds as he takes the ball into the end zone. It is no coincidence that most of the players regarded as the fastest are also given such adjectives as “explosive” or “dynamic.”
There are always players in the league who warrant constant attention from viewers and become part of opposing gameplans. Whether it’s figuring out how to slow down Tyreek Hill, contain Lamar Jackson or get a receiver past Patrick Surtain II, the fastest players in the NFL always make things exciting for fans.
Is there a way to figure out which players are the biggest burners in the league today? The Sporting News is compiling all the data you’d need to look at the players who might be in the conversation for the fastest player.
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Who is the fastest player in the NFL?
There is no definitive way to say this for certain, largely because there are different ways to evaluate speed. Would you be looking for fastest straight-line speed? The 40-yard dash might be the best way to go. Looking for impact speed in a game? NFL Next Gen Stats’ fastest ball-carriers might be the number you’re looking for. But even still, that wouldn’t include players chasing down those speedsters.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to evaluate who might be the fastest player in the league today. Let’s start with the Next Gen Stats.
Top 10 fastest players in 2022
NFL Next Gen Stats keeps track of the fastest times turned in by every ball-carrier throughout the course of the season, and already has plenty of data from the first week of the season. Each week, it will record the top 20 times of anyone who touches the football from the running backs, receivers, returners, quarterbacks and defenders who have possession of the ball. Even punters have cracked the list in the past (Cowboys punter Chris Jones had the seventh-fastest time in the NFL in Week 8 of the 2016 season).
Here are the players on the list so far in the 2022 NFL season:
| Player | Team | Top Speed (mph) | Week | Play Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Duvernay | Ravens | 21.6 | 2 | 103-yard kickoff return TD |
| Tariq Woolen | Seahawks | 21.58 | 4 | 40-yard interception return TD |
| Rashod Bateman | Ravens | 21.48 | 2 | 75-yard receiving TD |
| Chase Claypool | Steelers | 21.46 | 1 | 12-yard rush |
| Saquon Barkley | Giants | 21.11 | 1 | 68-yard rush |
| Tony Pollard | Cowboys | 21.11 | 2 | 46-yard reception |
| Joe Mixon | Bengals | 21.11 | 1 | 31-yard rush |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | Lions | 21.09 | 2 | 58-yard rush |
| Kavontae Turpin | Cowboys | 21.09 | 2 | 14-yard punt return |
| Michael Jackson | Seahawks | 21.05 | 2 | 86-yard FG block return TD |
Top 10 fastest times in 2021
There are going to be plenty of new entrants into the 2022 field as the season continues to progress, but the data from the 2021 season is final. Here’s how the year finished out, with the league’s leading rusher dazzling the most with his speed.
| Player | Team | Top Speed (MPH) | Week | Play Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Taylor | Colts | 22.13 | 15 | 67-yard rushing TD |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling | Packers | 22.09 | 11 | 75-yard receiving TD |
| Patrick Surtain | Broncos | 22.07 | 12 | 70-yard interception return TD |
| Jonathan Taylor | Colts | 22.05 | 9 | 78-yard rushing TD |
| Jonathan Taylor | Colts | 21.83 | 8 | 1-yard rush* |
| Derrick Henry | Titans | 21.80 | 6 | 76-yard rushing TD |
| Jaylen Waddle | Dolphins | 21.80 | 12 | 57-yard reception |
| Henry Ruggs | Raiders | 21.78 | 4 | 51-yard reception |
| Devin Duverynay | Ravens | 21.76 | 4 | 42-yard punt return |
| Jalen Reagor | Eagles | 21.74 | 5 | 22-yard punt return |
| Ja’Marr Chase | Bengals | 21.74 | 17 | 72-yard receiving TD |
*Taylor ran for 32 yards on the play but a penalty made the official gain 1 yard
Who has the fastest time in a regular season game?
NFL Next Gen Stats has been tracking times for ball-carriers since 2016. However, it only releases the top 20 speeds from each week, meaning the data is somewhat limited.
However, from that data, there is enough to find who the 10 fastest-tracked ball-carriers have been since 2016, since each week there are at least the top 20 speeds posted. The names at the top are not at all surprising. Of course, Tyreek Hill finds himself at the top. 49ers running back Raheem Mostert also dazzled fans in 2020 with his speed.
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Here’s a look at the 10 fastest times recorded, per Next Gen Stats.
| Year | Player | Team | Top Speed (MPH) | Week | Play Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tyreek Hill | Chiefs | 23.24 | 2 | 27-yard kickoff return |
| 2020 | Raheem Mostert | 49ers | 23.09 | 2 | 80-yard rushing TD |
| 2016 | Tyreek Hill | Chiefs | 22.77 | 12 | 86-yard kickoff return TD |
| 2020 | Raheem Mostert | 49ers | 22.73 | 1 | 76-yard receiving TD |
| 2016 | DeSean Jackson | Washington | 22.60 | 13 | 59-yard reception |
| 2016 | Stefon Diggs | Vikings | 22.50 | 2 | 44-yard reception |
| 2016 | Brandin Cooks | Saints | 22.40 | 15 | 45-yard receiving TD |
| 2016 | Xavier Rhodes | Vikings | 22.40 | 11 | 100-yard interception return TD |
| 2016 | Mike Wallace | Ravens | 22.34 | 6 | 70-yard reception |
| 2019 | Matt Breida | 49ers | 22.30 | 5 | 83-yard rushing TD |
NFL players’ fastest 40 times
Blazing speed doesn’t always translate to immediate success in the NFL, but it does get fans excited to see NFL draft prospects post ridiculous times in the 40-yard dash.
To date, no one has posted a faster 40 time — since 2000 — than Washington wide receiver John Ross or Tennessee wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth at 4.22 seconds, according to Stathead. Beyond those two, only Baylor corner Kalon Barnes in 2022 and East Carolina running back Chris Johnson in 2008 have come under the 4.25 mark.
Here’s a look at the fastest 40-times recorded at the NFL Combine since 2000, per Stathead.
| Year | Player | Draft Team | Pos | 40YD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | John Ross | Bengals | WR | 4.22 |
| 2002 | Donte’ Stallworth | Saints | WR | 4.22 |
| 2022 | Kalon Barnes | Panthers | CB | 4.23 |
| 2008 | Chris Johnson | Titans | RB | 4.24 |
| 2014 | Dri Archer | Steelers | WR | 4.26 |
| 2022 | Tariq Wooden | Seahawks | CB | 4.26 |
| 2020 | Henry Ruggs III | Raiders | WR | 4.27 |
| 2021 | Anthony Schwartz | Browns | WR | 4.27 |
| 2013 | Marquise Goodwin | Bills | WR | 4.27 |
| 2005 | Stanford Routt | Raiders | CB | 4.27 |
What is Tyreek Hill’s 40 time?
Hill missed the 2016 NFL Combine due to a domestic abuse arrest. When he ran at West Alabama’s Pro Day, he clocked a 4.29-second 40-yard dash, which would tie him for the 18th-fastest player since 2000, per Stathead. He has posted the 27th-fastest speed this season on a play, per NextGen Stats, with a speed of 20.33 mph on an 18-yard reception in Week 1.
What is Mecole Hardman’s 40 time?
Hardman is expected to take a big role with the Chiefs this year as a deep-ball receiver for Patrick Mahomes after Hill’s trade to the Dolphins, and he certainly has the speed to make things happen. His 40 time at the 2019 NFL Combine coming out of Georgia checked in at 4.33 seconds, tied for the 64th-fastest time, per Stathead.
What is Gabe Davis’ 40 time?
Davis has already cracked the list for the fastest times recorded in the NFL, appearing with the ninth-fastest Week 1 time on a 47-yard reception at 20.39 mph. Coming out of college from UCF, Davis posted a 40 time of 4.54 in 2020.
What is Stefon Diggs’ 40 time?
Another Bills receiver who cracked the fastest times in Week 1, Diggs hit 19.92 mph on a 53-yard receiving touchdown and back in 2016, he recorded the sixth-fastest time posted by NFL Next-Gen Stats. When he ran the 40-yard dash at the 2015 NFL Combine, he clocked in at 4.46 seconds.
What is Christian Watson’s 40 time?
Part of what helped Watson get noticed out of North Dakota State in the 2022 NFL Draft was his blazing speed. In his first NFL game, he cracked the top five for the fastest times recorded in a game, reaching 20.82 mph. At the 2022 NFL Combine, he ran a 40 of 4.36 seconds, tied for the 141st-fastest since 2000, per Stathead.
What is Ja’Marr Chase’s 40 time?
Chase turned in a blazing 40-time at his Pro Day back in 2021 at 4.34 seconds. Though he hasn’t posted one of the fastest times on NextGen Stats this season, he appeared on the weekly top-20 list seven times in his rookie season.
What is Devin Duvernay’s 40 time?
The former Texas wide receiver showed off his speed at the 2020 NFL Combine. The speedster turned in a 4.39 40 time. The Ravens wound up taking him in the third round of the 2020 draft.
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