NFL Combine 2012: Players Who Will Boost Stock with Eye-Popping 40 Times

The 40-yard dash—it's the glamour event of the NFL Scouting Combine, much like the 100-meter sprint at the Olympics.

The big difference of course is that where Olympians are out to set world records and win medals, college football stars are more concerned with boosting their own stock ahead of the NFL Draft and, in turn, their own bottom line.

Like, say, these three studs, all of whom have plenty to gain from burning up the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Robert Griffin III

Chances are, Robert Griffin III will be the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, regardless of how fast his 40 time turns out. This year's crop of quarterbacks is so thin and teams around the league (i.e. the Browns, the Redskins, the Dolphins) are so desperate for a quality signal caller that the reigning Heisman Trophy winner will have no shortage of teams chasing after him.

Still, if RGIII can somehow post a sub-4.4 time in the 40, he might even be able to plant some seeds of doubt in the minds of the Colts' brass, who are already presumed to have Andrew Luck as their choice for the No. 1 overall pick.

Kendall Wright

If you thought RGIII was fast, just wait 'until you see Kendall Wright, his former teammate at Baylor. This 5'10", 190-pound receiver has been shooting up draft boards as of late thanks in large part to the tremendous speed he's shown off on game tape.

If Wright's motor translates to the 40-yard track as well as it should, he may well wind up as the second receiver off the board in spring, just after Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon.

Trent Richardson

Everyone and their mother knows that Trent Richardson is as strong, powerful, tenacious and agile as any player in this draft class, regardless of position.

But if the former Alabama running back is going to leap up from "merely" a top-10 pick to a top-five lock, he'll need to roll (Tide) through the dash with a time somewhere in the 4.4 range.

Should Richardson pull that off, he'll give the Cleveland Browns at No. 4 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 5 something to ponder on draft day.

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