Predicting The 8 Fastest 40 Times At the 2023 NFL Combine
No event at the NFL Scouting Combine draws as much attention as the 40-yard dash.
Sure, the speed-focused drill only has a minimal impact on a player's true performance. Being fast doesn't make a prospect a great player, nor does a slow 40 time relegate a prospect to mediocrity.
But us NFL fans love the pursuit of a sub-4.3 time, don't we?
At the 2023 combine, dozens of NFL draft hopefuls will scamper down the sideline at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, and we're already excited to watch eight players in particular.
Jahymr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
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Jahymr Gibbs will officially be an Alabama draft pick, but the running back's fastest time happened at his previous stop.
Gibbs said he posted a 4.32-second run as a freshman at Georgia Tech, per Mike Rodak of AL.com. He spent two seasons with the Yellow Jackets before transferring to Alabama prior to the 2022 campaign.
Versatility is a key appeal for Gibbs, who also surpassed 100 receptions and 1,000 kick-return yards in college. Overall, he totaled 4,396 all-purpose yards in three seasons.
If he reinforces that versatility with elite speed, Gibbs might be a late first-round or early Day 2 selection.
Projection: 4.37 seconds
Keaton Mitchell, RB, East Carolina
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One play epitomizes what Keaton Mitchell can provide.
Early in the 2022 season, the East Carolina product took a handoff and patiently weaved through the defense. Near the sideline, Mitchell spotted his straight line to the end zone, and nobody could touch him.
Mitchell reached a max speed of 22.6 miles per hour on the 81-yard touchdown run, per Reel Analytics.
Among players who averaged 10-plus rushing attempts in 2022, Mitchell ranked second nationally with 7.2 yards per carry. He racked up personal-best totals of 1,452 yards and 14 touchdowns, finishing his ECU career with 3,027 yards on a sterling 6.5 per attempt.
Projection: 4.37 seconds
Trey Palmer, WR, Nebraska
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Trey Palmer assembled a breakout year in 2022, and he's aiming to parlay that performance into an NFL future.
After playing three seasons at LSU, the wideout transferred to Nebraska when his position coach, Mickey Joseph, also left for Lincoln. Palmer quickly established himself as the Cornhuskers' go-to target and secured 71 passes for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns.
The strong campaign earned him a trip to the Senior Bowl, where Dane Brugler of The Athletic noted Palmer sprinted to a max speed of 21.15 miles per hour.
As of today, it seems Palmer will be a Day 3 selection at best. Perhaps a sizzling 40 will boost his stock, though.
Projection: 4.36 seconds
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Darius Rush, CB, South Carolina
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In the end-of-season update, B/R's NFL Draft Scouting Department rated Darius Rush as the No. 110 player.
Based on that ranking, Rush is a fringe Day 2 talent. The corner's perception varies, of course, but that means Rush must find a certain way to stand out if he's going to rise.
Given that he's included here, the obvious path is speed.
According to Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Pros, Rush registered a Senior Bowl-leading 21.65 miles per hour. That was the eighth-fastest recorded time in the event's history.
Should he perform well in Indianapolis, it's fair to expect Rush will ascend to a solid Day 2 option.
Projection: 4.35 seconds
Derius Davis, WR, TCU
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Max Duggan and Quentin Johnston captured most of the headlines during TCU's shocking run to the national championship.
Derius Davis, however, played a pivotal part of that success.
Yes, the wideout caught 42 passes for 531 yards and five touchdowns. He also scored once as a runner, returned two punts for touchdowns and served as the Horned Frogs' full-time kick returner. Unsurprisingly, the speedster earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year.
Davis reached 22.7 miles per hour on a 65-yard touchdown catch against Kansas State in October, per Reel Analytics.
Projection: 4.34 seconds
Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
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Are you looking for an example off the gridiron? Let's head to the track.
Texas A&M running back Devon Achane also sprinted for the Aggies' indoor and outdoor squads. He posted career-best times of 6.63 seconds (60), 10.14 (100) and 20.20 (200) in the various sprints.
Unsurprisingly, that scorching speed made him a missile on the field. Achane hit 22.2 miles per hour on a kick-return touchdown during A&M's upset of Alabama in 2021, according to Reel Analytics.
Although a first-round ceiling is probably ambitious, Achane is soundly a possible second-round pick. B/R ranked him 48th in the class.
Projection: 4.33 seconds
Tyler Scott and Tre Tucker, WRs, Cincinnati
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Along with Palmer and Davis, receivers of note are Princeton's Andrei Iosivas, Tennessee's Jalin Hyatt and UAB's Trea Shropshire. Any of them could join or replace the players featured here.
But they might all be chasing two Cincinnati products.
Tyler Scott paced the Bearcats with 54 receptions, 899 yards and nine scores in 2022. Not far behind was Tre Tucker, who had 52 catches for 672 yards and three touchdowns—and likely some bragging rights.
Justin Williams of The Athletic noted Tucker said he'd probably outrun Scott and Drew Donley 90 out of 100 times.
"That's probably right. I won't tell Tre that, but yeah," UC receivers coach Mike Brown said 'begrudgingly,' according to Williams. "I try to talk trash to him about the other guys being faster, and then he goes and beats them in races and I lose all my credibility. It's like he keeps getting faster. It's fun to watch."
Who are we to disagree? Scott should put up a blistering time, but Tucker might just clip his Cincinnati teammate.
Scott Projection: 4.31 seconds
Tucker Projection: 4.30 seconds
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