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.
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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.
| 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 |
| 9 | 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.
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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.