UCF's Breshad Perriman Blazes His Way into 1st-Round Consideration at Pro Day

Speed kills in the NFL, and Central Florida wide receiver Breshad Perriman has plenty of speed to burn.

Perriman's workout on Wednesday at UCF's pro day reached mythic proportions often reserved for the likes of Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson prior to universal testing.

A blazing-fast 40-yard dash time may have even cemented the receiver's status as a potential first-round pick.

Social media exploded when news hit regarding Perriman's ultra-fast time. The initial report was provided by Perriman's agent, Drew Rosenhaus:

Obviously, the source of the information should be considered. After all, Rosenhaus owns a stake in Perriman's future earnings.

But excitement over Perriman's speed only continued to build from that point.

Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm relayed an even more stunning time from one of the scouts in attendance:

While a 4.1-second 40-yard dash seems unrealistic, more than one scout in Orlando had the near-unbelievable number, according to Central Florida Future's Ryan Gillespie:

The UCF athletic department provided a video of the amazing run:

Perriman doubled down with a tremendous second effort as well. The Orlando Sentinel's Shannon Owens-Green reported that the receiver's second attempt was nearly as good:

While those aren't verified times, one thing is certain: Perriman is fast. He's very fast. And he's one of the fastest prospects in this year's draft class.

Everything does need to be placed into proper perspective, though. NFL.com's CollegeFootball 24/7 provided the wet blanket:

However, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller suggests teams often prefer to use their hand times over the combine's electronic times.

Perriman didn't work out at the combine, but his reported time would have eclipsed the event's best effort. UAB's J.J. Nelson ripped off an official 4.28-second 40-yard dash to make him this year's fastest man at the combine.

Even if Perriman's 40 time was a tick slower than Nelson's, it's still more impressive.

Why?

The UCF product stands 6'2", which is four inches taller than Nelson, and weighs 56 more pounds than UAB's diminutive receiver.

He offers a truly rare combination of size and speed.

Even before the blazing-fast 40-yard dash time, momentum was building in Perriman's favor as a first-round target. As an early entrant to this year's draft, scouts were forced to go back and evaluate his tape late in the process.

His speed certainly showed up during games, and the Knights knew how to use it properly.

UCF targeted Perriman 95 times last season, and 25 percent of those targets came via simple go routes, according to Pro Football Focus' Steve Palazzolo:

Five FBS wide receivers in this year's draft class averaged over 20 yards per catch. Only Perriman managed at least 50 catches. The junior entrant finished his final season on UCF's campus with 50 receptions for 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns.

But there are still major concerns with his consistency. Perriman's hands aren't the most reliable among this year's crop of wide receivers, as Palazzolo alluded to:

Despite his excessive drop rate, NFL personnel are still very excited over Perriman's speed, according to NFL Network's Albert Breer:

This caliber of speed isn't simply a weapon to be used in an offense. It also threatens defenses. Even when Perriman isn't the intended receiver, defenses must account for his ability to run by them on any given play. That type of speed creates mismatches and dictates coverage schemes.

Alabama's Amari Cooper, Louisville's DeVante Parker and West Virginia's Kevin White won't be displaced from their status as the top three wide receiver prospects in this year's class because of an abnormally fast 40-yard dash time, but Perriman now enters the next tier alongside Oklahoma's Dorial Green-Beckham and Arizona State's Jaelen Strong.

All six will warrant first-round consideration.

Perriman will simply come with a sign that reads, "Buyer Beware." His overall potential and ability to take the top off a defense, though, are so tantalizing that some team will likely draft him sooner than his overall game dictates.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.