The 10 Fastest NFL players of all time

Speed is a crucial part of football, and these 10 NFL players have seemed to master it. So here are the 10 Fastest NFL players of all time:

Xavier Worthy:

40-yard dash time: 4.21 seconds

Xavier Worthy is the most recent breaker of the NFL combine’s 40-yard dash record, with his 4.21-second sprint occurring just one year ago. Worthy’s first season in the NFL was relatively average for a receiver drafted late in the first round, with 638 yards on 59 receptions. The 40-yard dash wasn’t the only record Worthy broke, as his 157-yard, 2-touchdown Super Bowl performance set a new Super Bowl record for most receiving yards by a rookie receiver.

In addition to his elite speed, Worthy was a major deep ball threat as well, an asset that the Chiefs’ offense was previously lacking. One would expect some natural progression for Worthy in year two, and his ceiling is one of the highest of any young players in the NFL today.

John Ross:

40-yard dash time: 4.22 seconds

At the 2017 NFL combine, John Ross broke the record for the 40-yard dash, a record that would stand for seven years. Ross was valued as one of the top three wide receivers in the 2017 draft class by draft experts and analysts, and he was eventually taken 9th overall by the Bengals. However, Ross strained his calves while running that 4.22-second 40-yard dash, and it seemed to impact his speed once the regular season rolled around. Ross fumbled his first and only touch of his rookie season, as a knees and shoulder injury made him stuck on injury reserve for nearly the entire season.

2018 was supposed to be Ross’s breakout season, but he recorded some less-than-stellar numbers; 210 yards on 21 receptions, and a horrendous 36.2 catch percentage. His 506 yards on 28 receptions made 2019 his best season, followed by two more forgettable seasons where Ross remained a replaceable backup. He then retired after the 2021 season but unretired in 2024 after receiving an offer from the Eagles. Ross caught one reception for the Eagles in 2024, and he would have won a Super Bowl ring had he not been released on December 3rd. John Ross will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, with his speed somewhat diminishing before he played a single NFL snap.

Kalon Barnes:

40-yard dash time: 4.23 seconds

No cornerback in NFL history has run a faster 40-yard dash time than Kalon Barnes, and yet Barnes has played two career NFL games. Barnes did play for a whopping seven different teams in just two years, but never made it past the practice squad, similarly to most other 7th-round selections.

Chris Johnson:

40-yard dash time: 4.24

After getting drafted 24th overall by the Titans in 2008, Chris Johnson burst onto the scene as one of the NFL’s most electric running backs, with his extraordinary speed embarrassing defenders. Johnson recorded 1,228 rushing yards in his rookie season, which was followed by a 2009 campaign, where he became the sixth player in NFL history to top 2,000 rushing yards, leading to an All-Pro selection and Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Unfortunately, like many modern running backs, Chris Johnson’s career peaked early on, failing to sustain his dominance and yardage, likely due to overuse. Johnson had a few more 1,000+ yard seasons, signing a 4-year, $53 million extension that he could not live up to, leading to his release in 2013. Johnson was essentially out of prime by age 29, which has caused some uncertainty regarding whether his career is worthy of a Hall of Fame selection.

Rondel Menendez:

40-yard dash time: 4.24 seconds

1999 was the first year that electronic timing was implemented for the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and Rondel Mendez’s 4.24-second run remained unbeaten for 18 years and not tied for nine years. Menendez was drafted in the 7th round and 247th overall by the Falcons and used his speed to return a punt 63 yards for a touchdown in the preseason. However, Menendez suffered a torn meniscus, sidelining him for the rest of the season. After he spent time on the practice squads of the Dolphins, Colts, Commanders, and Eagles, Menendez retired.

Tariq Woolen:

40-yard dash time: 4.26 seconds

Considering that the Seahawks selected Tariq Woolen in the 5th round, 153rd overall, speed is primarily what earned Woolen a spot in the NFL. However, once Woolen made the starting roster, his league-leading six interceptions, 16 passes defended, and Pro Bowl selection proved to be one of the draft’s biggest steals in 2022. Two seasons later, Woolen is yet to record numbers that top his rookie season, although his 5 interceptions, 25 passes defended, and 99 combined tackles in the past two seasons still make him a productive corner.

D.J. Turner:

40-yard dash time: 4.26 seconds

After D.J. Turner was drafted 60th overall by the Bengals in 2023, he resided as a backup cornerback on Cincinnati’s depth chart. That was until an injury to Chidobe Awuzie in week 5 placed the Bengals’ rookie into the starting role. In 12 games started, Turner recorded seven passes defended, 50 combined tackles, and returned a fumble for 28 yards.

Turner remained a backup in the following season, though his eight passes defended in just six games started made him an outlier in what was one of the lowest-performing NFL position groups during the 2024 season. However, Bengals’ corner Mike Hilton remains unsigned deep into this offseason, leaving D.J. Turner as the clear option for the starting role in 2025.

Jerome Mathis:

40-yard dash time: 4.26 seconds

Former Texans’ wide receiver Jerome Mathis holds the NCAA record for career kick return average, with 26.6 yards per return, and yet he played in the NCAA longer than he did in the NFL. The Texans drafted Mathis 114th overall in 2005 for purely kick-returning, though Mathis’s astounding speed helped him gain all-pro honors in kick-returning in his rookie season. However, things started to go downhill for Mathis after he fractured his foot during the Pro Bowl, resulting in only three games played in the 2007 season.

The Texans chose not to give him another contract, and no other team would sign Mathis after he spent six weeks on the Commanders. Jerome Mathis is one of the few NFL players to have more kick return touchdowns (3) than receiving touchdowns (1), and his career would have been longer had he not suffered an injury in a meaningless game that was essentially career-ending.

Dri Archer:

40-yard dash time: 4.26 seconds

Running backs taken in the middle rounds can be very hit-or-miss, and the Steelers missed when they took Dri Archer 97th overall in the 2014 draft. Jerrick McKinnon turned out to be the more successful back, but the Vikings snagged him 96th overall. The Steelers switched Archer to reveicer upon drafting him, and Archer recorded seven receptions for 23 yards in 2014. In 2015, Archer did not receive a single target and was released thereafter.

Henry Ruggs III:

40-yard dash time: 4.27 seconds

The 2020 NFL draft class was stacked with receiving talent; the first two rounds included CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Jerry Jeudy, Michael Pittman Jr, Brandon Aiyuk, and Tee Higgins. Henry Ruggs III was the first receiver picked in that draft, (12th overall by the Raiders) primarily due to his elite speed topping all other players in that draft class. However, Ruggs did not pan out like the seven receivers drafted after him.

After a disappointing under-500-yard rookie season, Ruggs was on pace to double those numbers in 2021 until the Raiders released him due to his involvement in a drunk driving car crash that killed the other driver. Henry Ruggs’s NFL career ended abruptly and was added to the long list of Raiders’ draft busts of the 21st century.