NFL Receivers with the Fastest First Step

In the NFL, a wide receiver's size and 40-yard dash time will get most of the attention, but nothing makes a cornerback more nervous than an explosive first step.

There are ways to deal with strength and length, and most defensive backs have the top-end speed to stay stride-for-stride with receivers down the sidelines. The first step off the line of scrimmage, or out of the break, is another matter altogether.

That's where any receiver worth his salt will make life miserable for a corner. An elite burst off the line can make an otherwise nondescript receiver impossible to cover.

Which receivers in the NFL possess the fastest first step? Click ahead to find out. 

Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Not only did the 2014 NFL draft produce one of the most accomplished wide receiver classes in history, it also produced the most explosive group in recent memory. 

And Brandin Cooks stands above the rest as the quickest of the bunch.

The New Orleans Saints wide receiver holds the fastest 60-yard shuttle time at the combine dating back to 2006, and he's tied for first in the 20-yard shuttle over that span. He's lightning.

Head coach Sean Payton was happy to snap Cooks up with the 20th pick in the draft and immediately got to work finding ways to get his new playmaker the football. There are going to be a lot of sleepless nights for defensive coordinators in the NFC South with Cooks around. 

T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

It would be easy to sing Hilton's praises as if reciting a poem, but it's more fun to let Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano do the talking. According to Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star, Pagano bestowed a new nickname upon his receiver following a 223-yard performance against the Texans in Week 6 last season.

"

He's like a ghost. They can't see him. That's why he's getting behind everybody. I don't know. Maybe he looks invisible out there just because he's so small and he's moving so damn fast. They're probably looking around going, 'God dang, he got behind us again.' 

"

It's tough to get a better endorsement than that.

Hilton's electric first step and deep-threat speed have made him Andrew Luck's favorite target. It also earned him a $65 million contract extension this summer. 

Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

It's easy to overlook the little things when it comes to Odell Beckham Jr. He's loud, he's brash and he has a flair for the spectacular.

Possessing only average size but top-end speed, Beckham wins with this extraordinary quickness, both off the line and coming out of breaks. At the 2014 combine, Beckham finished third among receivers in both the 20- and 60-yard shuttles.

Beckham's hands may attract all the attention, but it's his quick feet that allow him to be successful.

Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Antonio Brown has emerged as one of the most productive receivers in the NFL over the past few seasons— not bad for a former sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan.

How does that happen?

Part of it is due to the relentless work ethic and commitment to his craft that Brown has displayed, but his overlooked physical tools have played a role too.

As defensive coordinators look to bigger corners to deal with bigger receivers, Brown has made the most of being the quickest player on the field. At just 5'10" and 181 pounds, Brown's speed is what sets him apart from other receivers and makes him the prototype for the recent wave of smaller wide receivers in the NFL.

His first step has propelled him to the top of many stat sheets. 

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

Al Bello/Getty Images

If we were to rank receivers strictly on stopwatch time, Julio Jones might not make it on this list. At 6'3", he's always going to struggle to keep up with the more diminutive receivers off the line.

Of course, ask any cornerback in the NFL and they'd probably disagree with that assessment. Jones is plenty quick off the line, quicker, in fact, than any man his size ought to be.

Jones' size and playmaking ability earn most of the hyperbole, but it's his uncommon first step—both off the line of scrimmage and out of breaks—that truly makes him special. 

Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans

Scott Audette/Associated Press

Coming out of Baylor in 2012, Kendall Wright wasn't the biggest receiver in the draft, and with a 4.6 40-yard dash time he wasn't close to being the fastest, either.

That didn't stop the Tennessee Titans from making him a first-round pick.

Some receivers make corners worried about getting beat deep. Wright makes even the best press corners worried about getting beat off the line of scrimmage. His uncanny first step has permitted Wright to overcome his relative lack of size and deep speed.

Wright's been overshadowed by some of the game's more dynamic young receivers, but he's still be a solid performer for Tennessee, catching 94 passes in 2013.

DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

At the age of 28, DeSean Jackson still looks every bit as explosive as he did his rookie year. Jackson's speed has made him a consistent deep threat throughout his career, but it's during his time as a punt returner where his suddenness really popped.

Not only does Jackson possess extraordinary agility to elude tacklers in the open field, he can put his foot in the ground, turn up field and be gone in a flash. Though Jackson's importance on offense has kept him off of special teams in recent years, his still has tallied four punt-return touchdowns in his career.

We're used to athletes losing a step as they get into their late 20's and early 30's, but Jackson hasn't geared down just yet. Cornerbacks ought to remain wary.

John Brown, Arizona Cardinals

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The third member of the 2014 NFL Draft class to make the list, John Brown might just have the quickest first step of that heralded receiver group.

Brown entered the draft process as a relative unknown coming out of Pittsburgh St., but he shot up draft boards thanks to his stellar workouts. According to NFL.com, Brown had the best 20-yard split among receivers at the combine, clocking in at 2.46 seconds.

Brown doesn't have the size and strength teams typically like at the receiver position, but his explosion off the line and corresponding deep speed have turned him into a major weapon in Bruce Arians' offense as a rookie, and his role only continues to grow.