Fastest players in NFL: Xavier Worthy, Tyreek Hill among leaders in 40 times

04-09-2024
10 min read
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The Chiefs seem to have a knack for speedy receivers.

Just a few seasons removed from All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill, one of the league's fastest players, departing for Miami, Kansas City drafted Texas product Xavier Worthy 28th overall in April’s NFL Draft. 

Worthy profiles similarly to Hill in the fact that he offers game-breaking speed as a pass catcher — the kind that can put points on the board in an instant. So, how do the pair stack up against the fastest players in the NFL? 

The Sporting News takes a look at all the data you need to determine the quickest players across the NFL.

MORE: The details on Michael Thomas' one-game suspension

Who is the fastest player in the NFL?

Because there's no simple way to determine who the league's fastest player is, especially in varying contexts, a variety of data can be examined.

Every year, NFL Next Gen Stats tracks the fastest in-game ball carriers — which is limited, since it doesn't track any players without the ball. However, it can provide insight into the quickest in-game running speeds at positions like running back, receiver and quarterback. Each week, it tracks the top 20 fastest speeds in miles per hour by players carrying the ball, and later has a list of the fastest ball carriers throughout that season. 

With that, the NFL measures 40-yard dash times at each draft combine, providing an opportunity for direct comparison between players' straight-line speed as a prospect. 

NFL Next Gen Stats and the combine's 40-yard dash can provide a glimpse at the quickest players, including Worthy and Hill. First, let's go over NFL Next Gen Stats' fastest in-game speeds of 2023.

Top 10 fastest players in 2023

NFL Next Gen Stats' 2023 list of the fastest in-game speeds includes a lot of Miami Dolphins — including multiple appearances by Hill.

Below are the 10 fastest speeds recorded last season according to the NFL, including the player and their team, position, MPH speed, the week the play occurred and play type when they reached the speed. 

Rank Player Team Position MPH Week Play Type
1 DK Metcalf Seahawks WR 22.23 13 73-yd rec TD
2 Chase Brown Bengals RB 22.05 14 54-yd rec TD
3 Tyreek Hill Dolphins WR 22.01 5 64-yd rec
4 De'Von Achane Dolphins RB 21.93 3 67-yd rush TD
5 Kavonte Turpin Cowboys WR 21.91 14 22-yd rush
6 De'Von Achane Dolphins RB 21.76 5 76-yd rush TD
7 Derrick Henry Titans RB 21.68 18 69-yd rush
8 Tyreek Hill Dolphins WR 21.68 13 78-yd rec TD
9 Tyreek Hill Dolphins WR 21.66 1 47-yd rec
10 Raheem Mostert Dolphins RB 21.62 2 43-yd rush TD

Top 10 fastest players in 2022

Going back another season, NFL Next Gen Stats also provided numbers on the fastest in-game speeds reached by a ball carrier. 

The 2022 list features some different names than 2023, including an absence from Hill but another Dolphins WR in the top 10.

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Rank Player Team Position MPH Week Play Type
1 Parris Campbell Colts WR 22.11 18 26-yd rush
2 Kenneth Walker Seahawks RB 22.09 7 74-yd rush TD
3 Breece Hall Jets RB 21.87 7 62-yd rush TD
4 DeSean Jackson Ravens WR 21.72 12 62-yd rec
5 Christian Watson Packers WR 21.72 13 46-yd rush TD
6 Dalvin Cook Vikings RB 21.68 10 81-yd rush TD
7 Jaylen Waddle Dolphins WR 21.68 16 84-yd rec TD
8 Travis Etienne Jaguars RB 21.62 17 62-yd rush TD
Devin Duvernay Ravens WR 21.60 2 103-yd kickoff return TD
10 Tariq Woolen Seahawks DB 21.58 4 40-yd interception TD

Who has the fastest time in a regular season game? 

Currently, NFL Next Gen Stats includes data going back to 2018 on its site. So, there's no way to see the fastest in-game speeds before then, but the data since then can help judge the best-of-the-best when it comes to speed over the past few seasons.

Below is the top 10 fastest tracked in-game speeds since 2018, with a pair of former 49ers running backs making the list twice.

Rank Player Team Position MPH Week, Year Play Type
1 Raheem Mostert 49ers RB 23.09 Week 2, 2020 80-yd rush TD
2 Raheem Mostert 49ers RB 22.73 Week 1, 2020 76-yd rec TD
3 Matt Breida 49ers RB 22.30 Week 5, 2019 83-yd rush TD
4 DK Metcalf Seahawks WR 22.23 Week 13, 2023 73-yd rec TD
5 Cordarrelle Patterson Bears WR 22.23 Week 2, 2019 46-yd rush
6 Jonathon Taylor Colts RB 22.13 Week 15, 2021 67-yd rush TD
7 Parris Campbell Colts WR 22.11 Week 18, 2022 26-yd rush
8 Kenyan Drake Cardinals RB 22.11 Week 6, 2020 69-yd rush TD
9 Matt Breida 49ers RB 22.09 Week 12, 2018 33-yd rush
10 Kenneth Walker Seahawks RB 22.09 Week 7, 2022 74-yd rush TD

NFL players' fastest 40 times

At the 2024 NFL Combine, Worthy snapped the record for the fastest 40 time from an NFL prospect at a blazing 4.21 seconds. He broke John Ross’ record from the 2017 combine, which was 4.22 seconds. 

Even as a rookie, Worthy already has an argument as the league’s fastest player. In his NFL Next Gen Stats prospect breakdown, he was ranked first among WRs in its athleticism score and fifth among WRs in its production score. 

Here's a look at some of the other fastest times recorded all-time at the combine. 

Year Player Position Program 40 time
2024 Xavier Worthy WR Texas 4.21
2017 John Ross WR Washington 4.22
2022 Kalon Barnes CB Baylor 4.23
2008 Chris Johnson RB East Carolina 4.24
2014 Dri Archer RB Kent State 4.26
2022 Tariq Woolen DB UTSA 4.26
2023 DJ Turner CB Michigan 4.26
2013 Marquise Goodwin WR Texas 4.27
2020 Henry Ruggs III WR Alabama 4.27

Outside of the Chiefs’ new receiver, there aren't many active players on the all-time 40-yard dash list from the NFL Combine. 

Ross, who was selected ninth overall by the Bengals in 2017, never truly broke through in the NFL, and was recently released by the Eagles after training camp. He totaled a career-high 506 yards in 2019 with Cincinnati.

Among the other more recent names on the list, Barnes was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by Carolina and has spent time on various teams' practice squads since. Woolen, meanwhile, is still in Seattle and had 42 tackles along with two interceptions last season. 

The final active player on the list, Turner, was drafted by the Bengals in 2023 and had 50 tackles as a rookie. 

MORE: Why Jacoby Brissett is starting for New England in Week 1

What is Tyreek Hill's 40 time?

While Hill’s in-game speed is easy enough to judge as one of the fastest, he didn’t participate in the combine as a prospect in 2016 due to off-field issues. However, he did run an unofficial 4.29 at South Alabama’s Pro Day before becoming arguably the quickest player in the league.

The speedy Dolphins receiver was also tuned into Worthy’s record-breaking combine performance back in March.

Worthy and Hill should both give their respective teams' offenses a speed boost this season as the 2024 NFL season gets started.