East Carolina's Chris Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2008, tying the mark set by Eastern Kentucky's Rondel Menendez in 1999.
The combine was just starting to become a made-for-TV event when Johnson ran his scalding 40, and it has remained one since. The fact that Johnson went on to become a first-round pick and only the NFL's sixth-ever 2,000-yard rusher helped add credibility to the 40 and to the combine workouts as a whole as both entertainment and a football-worthy metric.
Amazingly, just three men since then have bested Johnson's and Menendez's shared time: Baylor's Kalon Barnes (4.23 in 2022), Washington WR John Ross (4.22 in 2017) and Texas' Xavier Worthy (4.21 in 2024).
Worthy's record-breaking time from two years ago was one of the all-time combine moments, and it's the new benchmark for this year's runners after no one broke the 4.28-second mark at the 2025 event. Could it fall this year? It will be tough.
The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine prospect list is 319 names long, but it remains to be seen if anyone can seriously threaten Worthy. If someone does, there's a good chance they played wide receiver in college, probably for an SEC school. You can find speed merchants at multiple positions, including running back, cornerback and even safety, but wideout appears to be where the real gasoline is this year.
Here are 21 players with at least an outside shot to win the 40-yard dash throne in Indianapolis, roughly listed from most to least likely, although only a small handful at the top appear capable of challenging Worthy's mark.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: NFL Network and NFL+ will have live coverage of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine beginning Feb. 26.
Thompson was a high-school sprinter who won the 3A 200-meter title (21.27 seconds) and finished second in the 100 (10.40) as a junior, reportedly running 40 times in the 4.3 range back then. After toiling for a few years in college football at Texas and Oklahoma, he was able to showcase his game-breaking speed last season with the Bulldogs, catching 57 passes for 1,054 yards (18.5-yard average) and six TDs. Thompson committed to the Senior Bowl before bowing out of the event, but the game’s director, Drew Fabianich, believes he has true game-breaking speed, predicting a combine 40 time in the mid-4.2-second range. If you want to see what that kind of speed looks like, here’s Thompson roasting Arizona State for a game-winning 58-yard TD last season. He’s got to be the favorite, or one of a small handful, heading into this year's event.
Hilton was a highly recruited high school prospect (and three-time Louisiana state high-jump champ) who never quite developed as expected in college, even while averaging 19 yards per catch, but he’s been a hot name on the postseason draft circuit. At the East-West Shrine Bowl, Hilton was clocked at 22.13 mph during practice, according to Zebra Technologies, and he’s built like a burner. As for Hilton’s combine speed, Shrine executive director Eric Galko said: “If you put the over-under at 4.3 (seconds) for his 40 time ... I am taking the under. That's how fast he is, and it shows on film.” Hilton’s only concern might be fatigue. He participated in the Hula Bowl and Shrine Bowl and then was called up late during Senior Bowl week, making him a rare three-event participant.
Branch was Nevada’s Gatorade Player of the Year for track and field as a sophomore, running a scalding 10.33-second 100-meter dash, and he ran track briefly at USC as a freshman. That same year, his elite burst was on display on this 96-yard kickoff return -- watch him turn on the jets -- but Branch's speed didn't consistently translate into his yards per catch, averaging 10.3 for the Trojans and Bulldogs in three seasons, even while leading the SEC with 81 grabs last season. But he still managed to crank up the RPMs several times, perhaps no better than on his first TD at Georgia, pulling away from the Marshall defense. Branch can fly, and you can’t overlook him in Indy.
A true gamebreaker, Brown was a back-to-back Tennessee high school state champ in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, with his 100 time of 10.49 seconds in 2021 the third-fastest TSSAA state meet time since 1985. Although Brown’s speed didn’t always show up in his receiving production at Kentucky and LSU, averaging just over 11 yards per reception for his career, it did correlate in the return game. One of the best returners in the nation the past four years, Brown averaged 29.4 yards per return and ran back six for touchdowns on 65 career runbacks. Check out the gear change on this 100-yarder against Louisville in 2023, hitting a peak 22.6 mph -- a truly stunning number. Brown also was consistently one of the fastest players at Senior Bowl practices, registering a max speed of 20.35 mph on Day 1. This dude has some gas.
The third Tiger to make this list, Anderson can’t go overlooked. The track star in sprints and relays improved his speed steadily throughout high school, with an impressive 10.77-second 100-meter dash. He also made his mark as a big-play threat at LSU -- especially in a breakout 2024 season. There’s no doubt Anderson is a blur, but he might not quite have that extra gear to threaten the top mark this year.
Don’t sleep on Jackson, who ran an absurd 4.21-second 40 time in high school and also tied the state record in the 100-meter with an equally ridiculous time of 10.25 seconds. He didn’t make a ton of plays on the ball and was never used on returns in college, but makeup speed is one of Jackson’s hallmarks in coverage. He can still roll, making him a fun and worthy combatant for this event.
He broke the 11-second threshold in the 100-meter in high school, was the first leg of a good relay team and appears to have a chance to get into the 4.3s at the combine. Terrell has a smaller, lighter build but can absolutely stay with college football’s speed merchants step for step most times.
Everette is a well-proportioned athlete with speed that could place him in the 4.3-second range. That speed was on display when covering deep receivers ably, and though he didn’t have a ton of chances with the ball in his hands in college, Everette did tease his straight-line juice on a 30-yard INT return vs. Bama in the SEC Championship Game.
Love might not win this event, but it would be surprising if he doesn’t fare well. With a best time of 10.76 seconds in the 100-meter during high school, he demands respect, and Love kept his jets fueled for the Irish, with his 98-yard TD run against Indiana in the 2024 playoffs first displaying his rare speed to the nation. A quality time in the 40 could lock up a high draft slot.
Claiborne registered one of the top in-game speeds measured the past few years at 22.6 mph on this 100-yard kick return against Miami. This past season, Claiborne also ripped off an 85-yard TD run against Western Carolina that provided a taste of his breakaway ability. Claiborne appears to have more build-up speed than rare get-off, but don’t underestimate this man’s jets. As a high school sprinter, he won the 2021 Virginia Class AA 100-meter dash title and was the runner-up in the 200-meter.
Nicknamed "Glitch," Cisse is known for his makeup speed in coverage. He boasts some very respectable high school times in the 100 and 200, with times around 11 and 22 seconds, respectively. But is he fast enough to win the 40? Consider: Two Gamecocks teammates believe Cisse can run nearly as fast as his teammate, WR Nyck Harbor, one of the fastest men in all of college football who almost certainly would have been our top 40 candidate had Harbor not returned to school.
You don’t often see true safeties on this list, but it’s worth mentioning that Thieneman ran a laser-timed 4.36-second 40 in high school, which is pretty remarkable. Now, he’s beefed up to 205 pounds, and Thieneman might not have that elite gas anymore, but breaking 4.4 wouldn’t be shocking. He has the look of a combine star, with his closing speed obvious on tape, even if Thieneman isn’t the likeliest 40 champ.
Another taller prospect, the leggy 6-foot-3 Hurst stood tall with a good performance at the Senior Bowl and appears to be a prospect very much on the rise. He hit a smoking 20.33 mph in Mobile. Cracking the 4.4 mark in the 40 would be tremendous for his physique, but he’s a candidate to put up some freaky numbers in other events, too.
The undersized Ponds is a terrific football player with some wheels. He recorded personal-best marks of 10.47 seconds (100) and 21.54 seconds (200) in high school and reportedly ran in the low 4.4 range in prior testing, making a time in the 4.3 range entirely possible with proper combine training. It was a long season for Ponds, though, extending well into January, cutting down his 40 prep time for Indy.
At 220 pounds, it’s going to be awfully hard for Singleton to be the combine 40 king, but he hit 21.8 mph on a 40-yard TD against West Virginia in 2024 and has all the earmarks of a workout warrior. His track background and elite straight-line burst give him a puncher’s chance to finish near the top of his position and perhaps on the overall 40 leaderboard.
He’s a sub-4.4 candidate for sure, with some promising speed benchmarks to his name. In high school, Benson ran a 10.44-second 100-meter dash and was a long jump champion, hitting nearly 25 feet. Benson never was fully unleashed at Alabama or Florida State previously, but he broke out with the Ducks with a strong 2025 season, clocking 21.7 mph, per Reel Analytics, on this punt return for a touchdown versus USC and flying past a James Madison defender (who was giving him a 10-yard cushion) for a TD catch.
Burks said he hit 22.3 mph during speed testing at Purdue before transferring to Oklahoma. And if you don’t believe him, check out the final 40-plus yards of this 84-yard TD as a member of the Boilermakers. He’s a straight-line blur, and even with Burks adding some weight over the past year plus, he remains a factor here.
A fourth LSU receiver?! It’s hard to ignore the speed of Thomas, who reportedly ran a 4.39-second 40 and an 11.08-second 100 in high school. That speed translated at Mississippi State and LSU, where he posted three career returns for touchdowns (two kickoffs, one punt). Can’t forget this dude, even with so many of his teammates also competing.
The high school all-state track star didn’t have blazing times in the 100-meter compared with others on the list, but the DB-turned-receiver might have found an extra gear since then, averaging 18.8 yards per catch in a breakout season at FIU in 2024. His production dipped in the Yellow Jackets’ run-heavy offensive system last season, but he caught passes of 40-plus yards in four games and can take the top off a defense.
It remains to be seen if Reid’s build-up speed can translate to the 40, but he reportedly hit 21.4 mph on a 56-yard TD catch in 2024 and boasted 10.7-second speed in the 100-meter in high school. Reid absolutely can move.
One of the more interesting backgrounds among the 40 candidates has to be Abney, who was a competitive roller skater as a youth who still holds the national 300-meter inline record for 13-year-olds. He also ran the 100 in high school, routinely clocking times in the low 11-second range. His skating days ended when he got to ASU, but the well-built corner has maintained his burst, even if he’s among the bigger long shots on this list.
