Trae Waynes, Phillip Dorsett, Kevin White Win $100K for Fastest Times at Combine

Trae Waynes, Phillip Dorsett and Kevin White each earned $100,000 from Adidas for running the fastest 40-yard dash times among sponsored athletes at the NFL Scouting Combine. But the combine's fastest runner, JJ Nelson, was never given a chance to sign with the brand and didn't get the money. 

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Nelson Never Given Chance to Sign With Adidas

Wednesday, Feb. 25

DSPN.com's Darren Rovell reported that the combine's fastest participant, former UAB wideout JJ Nelson, was never given a chance to sign with Adidas and thus missed a chance at $100,000:

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"I wasn't completely focused on it at the time," Nelson told ESPN.com. "I was obviously focused on getting a good time first."

An Adidas news release said that the offer was "open to the athletes who sign with adidas prior to running their official 40 yard dashes later this month," but Nelson said he wasn't ever given a chance to sign with the brand.

"I signed some waiver at some point, but I was never given a chance to sign an endorsement deal," Nelson said.

When the ESPN.com article was posted that quoted Adidas spokesman Michael Ehrlich as saying Nelson wasn't eligible because he didn't sign with the brand, Nelson said he started getting phone calls and text messages.

"Players and friends were calling me thinking I would be dumb enough to turn down $100,000," Nelson said.

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Waynes, Dorsett, White Earn $100,000

Monday, Feb. 23 

Adidas brought back its $100,000 award for the fastest Adidas-sponsored athletes at the NFL Scouting Combine. This time, the German company gave out the prize to the top three 40-yard dash finishers instead of just one, as it did in 2014. And that made Trae Waynes, Phillip Dorsett and Kevin White quite a bit richer.

Adidas congratulated the winners via Twitter: 

Rapper Snoop Dogg snapped a few pictures with the blazing-fast players: 

According to NFL.com, Michigan State cornerback Waynes was the fastest out of the group, with a time of 4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Miami wide receiver Dorsett was next in 4.33 seconds, and West Virginia wideout White rounded out the trio in 4.35 seconds.

Waynes is about to make a lot more money after the NFL draft as well. The ex-Spartan is expected to be a first-round pick and potentially the top corner off the board. That means he could go in the first 10 selections. 

That was the buzz during the combine, per Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com:

Dorsett, meanwhile, is an intriguing prospect with a lot of big-play potential. He could climb up draft boards and be an interesting sleeper for teams looking for a wide receiver after the first round. White's combine performance has vaulted him up the receiver rankings, and he now appears to be in line for a first-round selection after wowing the scouts with his incredible athleticism. 

Adidas was originally going to reward the top three finishers with custom-made Porsche 911s decorated with cheetahs on them, but the NFL prevented the company from doing so because of a preexisting partnership with General Motors, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.

Instead, Adidas reverted back to awarding the top three finishers with a cash prize, as it did with Brandin Cooks last year. Cooks ran the second-fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.33), but the top finisher, Dri Archer, wasn't wearing Adidas.

Never before has a wardrobe decision been so costly. And it's just as likely you'll never find three happier folks who just lost out on Porsches than Waynes, Dorsett and White.