Predicting the 6 Fastest 40 Times at the 2025 NFL Combine

It’s the unquestioned highlight of the NFL Scouting Combine each and every year—the “dash for cash.” NFL prospects doing their best to show off their speed for teams in the 40-yard-dash.

To be clear, a blazing-fast 40 time hardly ensures professional success. Prior to 2024, the combine record for the 40-yard-dash was 4.22 seconds, set by wide receiver John Ross in 2017. That 40-time helped get Ross drafted ninth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, but to call his five-year NFL career a disappointment is an understatement.

Things have gone a little better for Xavier Worthy, who broke Ross’ record at last year’s combine with a 4.21-second 40-yard-dash. Worthy was drafted at the back end of Round 1 by the Kansas City Chiefs and had a solid rookie season, catching 59 passes for 638 yards and adding 104 yards and three more scores on the ground.

There has already been plenty of speculation about which players could win the title of fastest player at the 2025 combine—a title that could have once won them a private island. There will be talk in Indy about who might have the wheels to surpass Worthy as the fastest prospect the event has ever seen.

Frankly, the odds of Worthy’s record falling after one year aren’t good. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some exceedingly fast players at the combine in 2025.

Here are some predictions for who will be the fastest—from a top-10 pick to a few speedsters who will likely have to wait until April 26 to hear their names called.

6. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

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Travis Hunter

Projected 40-Yard Dash Time: 4.35 Seconds

Colorado’s Travis Hunter is something of a unicorn—a true two-way player in an age where that just doesn’t happen anymore. The 6’1”, 185-pounder caught 95 passes for over 1,200 yards and 15 scores last year on the way to winning the Heisman Trophy, but it’s his talent as a “shutdown” corner that Bleacher Report’s Cory Giddings expects to get him drafted early in Round 1 of the 2025 draft.

“His rare physical gifts and ball skills give him a high ceiling as a defensive playmaker,” Giddings said. “Hunter's willingness to tackle and high motor add to his appeal, making him a well-rounded prospect with the potential to be a cornerstone of an NFL secondary. With proper development, Hunter has the tools to become a perennial Pro Bowler and one of the top cornerbacks in the league.”

For his part, Hunter said on The Travis Hunter Show that he has much loftier goals—a career that surpasses that of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.

“I need that Gold Jacket, whatever it is going to take! I got to outdo Coach Prime. I got a Heisman Trophy, he don’t,” Hunter said. “That’s not how I do it because he got that Gold Jacket. I need to get that Gold Jacket and a Super Bowl, I got to outdo him.”

Back in 1989, Sanders allegedly ran a 4.27-second 40. But back then, runs were hand-timed—which usually results in quicker times than the digitally-timed runs at the "modern" combine. So, while Hunter’s projected 40 time may appear slower, it’s likely right about what Sanders ran, and it will further cement Hunter’s status as one of this year’s most talented prospects

5. Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech

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Bhayshul Tuten

Projected 40-Yard Dash Time: 4.33 Seconds

There’s no question that Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten is fast—he was reportedly clocked at over 23 MPH and ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash this past offseason. But as Tuten told reporters, he thinks one of his best qualities is that he doesn’t constantly try to run in turbo mode.

“Since my freshman year playing football in college, I’ve tried to focus on patience as a running back, not just getting the ball and running full speed everywhere, but playing with tempo and slowing it down so the line can block how they're supposed to, and then I can read it,” Tuten said. “It’s kind of been my biggest improvement since my freshman year.”

However, despite those wheels and over 2,000 yards on the ground in college, Andrew Harbaugh of Vikings Wire sees the 5’11”, 209-pounder as a Day 3 flier.

“Tuten has some traits that the NFL is going to love, but there is also some things he does that are going to be less than ideal in their eyes,” he said. “I will start with the positive aspects, which are his contact balance, durability, and vision as a runner. Those three things will allow him to earn some reps in a running back rotation as a rookie. What is going to hold him back is his pass blocking and ability to finish long runs. Both areas were glaring to me when I watched his film; if I am noticing it, NFL teams are definitely noticing it.”

Tuten is exactly the kind of player who can benefit greatly from a strong performance in Indianapolis. If Tuten can back up (or better) that 40-time from last year, NFL teams are going to be headed back to watch more tape on the youngster.

4. CB Gentry Williams, Oklahoma

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Gentry Williams

Projected 40-Yard Dash Time: 4.30 Seconds

For Oklahoma cornerback Gentry Williams, speed isn’t the biggest concern—durability is. The 6’0”, 187-pounder had issues with multiple shoulder dislocations in college, although he told reporters that he’s healthy now and learned a lot from the adversity he faced in Norman.

“For me, a couple games, I had it slip out,” he said, “and just being honest, that's not something that any player wants to go through. But mental toughness. I mean, every football player's had something not go their way and I gotta understand being mentally tough. It was tough. It was tough. It was something that no player really wants to go through when you wanna have success and you wanna play with your brothers. But it's something I'm glad I went through.”

Williams is a Day 3 “project” as a prospect, and not just because of the injury red flags. His technique in press coverage is raw—in part because his play strength isn’t great. He also needs to improve both his run support and tackling overall—he dives low far more often than he wraps up.

But Williams may also well be the fastest cornerback in this draft class. He estimates his 40-time to be in the high 4.2s or low 4.3s.

A player’s own estimation of his speed has to be taken with something of a grain of salt. But if Williams can post a run in the 4.30-second range, a lot more NFL clubs are going to be willing to roll the dice on Williams in the later rounds.

3. Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas

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Isaiah Bond

Projected 40-Yard Dash Time: 4.28 Seconds

Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond is an exercise for NFL teams in potential over production. Bond caught 34 passes for 540 yards last season, and at 5’11” and 180 pounds, he isn’t an overly big wide receiver.

Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson wrote that Boyd has the look of a Day 2 pick who needs the right fit to thrive in the NFL.

“Overall, Isaiah Bond's combination of route running and elite speed are game-changing qualities to have as a wide receiver prospect,” he said. “Placing him in a timing-based passing attack with an offensive coordinator open to being creative is the best for Bond's NFL future. An accurate and well-timed quarterback will appreciate what he brings to the offense. He plays mainly as an outside receiver but can create havoc defensively working out of the slot.”

However, as Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters, Bond has the ability to make a house call any time he touches the ball.

"He's fast. He's definitely fast," Sarkisian said. "Everybody's got their own redeeming quality. And probably at the top of his list from a redeeming quality is he has elite speed. ... For us, he's made some big-time catches, some big-time plays. He's starting to become one of those guys. He catches a curl route, you hold your breath because he might spin out and go."

Bond is seemingly motivated to run a good time—posting on Instagram after Xavier Worthy’s record-breaking run last year that he has his sights set on breaking it.

Bond won’t quite get there. But he’ll be fast enough to turn some heads—and bolster his draft stock.

2. Monaray Baldwin, WR, Baylor

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Monaray Baldwin

Projected 40-Yard Dash Time: 4.26 Seconds

Baylor’s Monaray Baldwin has some obstacles to overcome as he heads into the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. At just 5’9” and 172 pounds, Baldwin is an undersized player (and then some). Baldwin didn’t exactly blow up the stat sheet a year ago, either—27 catches for 478 yards and four touchdowns.

But Baldwin’s per-catch average of 17.7 yards belies his ability to take the top off a defense. And as Eli Cooper of NFL Draft Buzz wrote, there’s little question that Baldwin’s wheels are his best quality.

“Baldwin's elite athleticism and game-breaking speed make him an intriguing day-three prospect with the potential to carve out a niche role at the next level,” Cooper said. “His ability to take the top off defenses and create explosive plays in the passing game will certainly pique the interest of NFL offensive coordinators looking to add a dynamic element to their receiving corps. The Baylor product's surprising play strength and versatility as a gadget player and returner further bolsters his draft stock.”

Baldwin’s 40-time has reportedly been estimated in the 4.24-second range, which absolutely puts him on the short list to be the fastest man at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. For what it’s worth, his speed rating in last year’s college football game from EA Sports was 98—fourth-best among all wideouts.

A sub-4.3-second 40 isn’t going to make Baldwin any taller. It’s not going to get him drafted in Round 1. Or Round 2.

But if he tears up the track at Lucas Oil Stadium, some team is going move Baldwin up their board—even if his future in the pros may be more a gadget player and return guy that offensive starter.

1. Arian Smith, WR, Georgia

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Arian Smith

Projected 40-Yard Dash Time: 4.25 Seconds

Arian Smith wasn’t an especially productive wide receiver at Georgia—he caught just 68 passes over five seasons with the Bulldogs. But when the 6’0”, 175-pounder did get his hands on the rock, it was usually well down the field—Smith averaged a gaudy 19.9 yards per catch in college.

While speaking to reporters, Georgia offensive coordinator Jake Bobo said that the key to Smith’s ascendance (48 catches for 817 yards and four scores in 2024) last season wasn’t hard to identify—there’s no one on the field faster than Smith once he steps onto it.

“Everything he does is full speed,” Bobo said. “And there’s a reason he gets thrown a lot of balls, he’s open. He’s the fastest guy on the field, and when he gets on the field, people know he’s on the field.”

As Ryan Fowler wrote for Draft Network, Smith’s track background makes him a leading candidate to peel off the fastest 40-yard dash at this year’s combine.

“Speed is his calling card,” Fowler said. “A Florida state title winner in the 200M and the winner of the boys' elite 100M race at the 2019 Nike Elite Prefontaine Classic, it’s not hard to see why he’s been talked about as one of the fastest players in the 2025 class. With a verified track background, including a blazing 10.18-second 100M time during his collegiate career, his straight-line speed isn’t just elite, it’s world-class.”

In theory, Smith absolutely has the speed to challenge Xavier Worthy’s combine record. But even if that doesn’t happen, Smith should come in well under 4.3 seconds and take home the title of the 2025 combine’s fastest man.