Fastest 40-Yard Dash Times by Position in NFL Combine History

Some consider the NFL combine to be a sport in and of itself. Its setup resembles a track and field meet, but for college football players to exhibit their athleticism for an audience of NFL scouts. Of all the workouts at the combine, the 40-yard dash stands atop as the most prominent among scouts and fans.

Good enough times in the 40-yard dash have been enough to boost a prospect's draft stock by an entire round, and a handful of prospects in the history of the combine even carved a name for themselves in the NFL record books.

1. QB: Robert Griffin III, 2012 - 4.41

Robert Griffin III was one of the most exciting quarterback prospects coming out of college after a storied career at Baylor. He proved that his talent and poise was accompanied by rare physical gifts at the NFL combine when he posted the fastest 40 time ever by a quarterback at 4.41 seconds. Some thought that Griffin's historic combine showing would be enough to make him the No.1 pick in that year's draft, but it was the slower, steadier Andrew Luck who went first overall, while Griffin fell to the Washington Redskins.

2. WR: John Ross, 2017 - 4.22

The fastest 40-yard-dash time by any prospect in combine history belongs to John Ross. Coming out of Washington in 2017, he was projected to be in the top half of wide receivers that year, alongside Mike Williams, Cooper Kupp and JuJu Smith-Schuster. However,, Ross made his case for a top-10 pick with his historic combine performance, as he would go ninth overall to the Cincinnati Bengals.

3. RB: Chris Johnson, 2008 - 4.24

Despite a decorated career at East Carolina, Chris Johnson was only projected to be a second-round pick at highest in the 2008 draft. That was until he set the then NFL combine record for the fastest 40 time at 4.24. His speed proved to be too good to pass up for the Tennessee Titans, who made Johnson the 24th pick in the draft that year. Johnson would reward Tennessee's faith right off the bat that year, helping lead the Titans to the AFC's best record in 2008 with 1,228 yards. Then in 2009, he claimed the league's rushing title with 2,006 yards and the legend of CJ2K was born.

4. DB: Stanford Routt, 2005 - 4.27

Stanford Routt excelled at both football and track at Houston, and showed off the combination of his expertise in those two sports at the 2005 NFL combine. Routt broke the then-record for fastest 40 time at 4.27 seconds and earned himself a second-round selection by the Oakland Raiders. Routt played for eight NFL seasons, but his speed was never enough to get him into the Pro Bowl.

5. TE: Vernon Davis, 2006 - 4.38

As a workout warrior in college, Vernon Davis broke a number of school records at Maryland for bench press, power clean and squats. But when it came time to show off his speed for the NFL, he set the bar even higher, becoming the only tight end to ever post a 40 time under 4.4. It earned him a pick in the top 10 in the 2006 draft, going sixth overall to the San Francisco 49ers. Davis would go on to be one of the league's most talented tight ends, earning two Pro Bowl nods and a second-team all pro selection.

6. LB: Shaquem Griffin, 2018 - 4.38

Shaquem Griffin had his arm amputated as a child, but never gave up on his dream of making it to the NFL. Not only did his amputation stop him from fulfilling his dream, but it wasn't even enough to stop him from making some combine history along the way. Griffin set the record for fastest 40 time by a linebacker in 2018, shocking NFL scouts and becoming one of the biggest storylines of that year's draft. Griffin's historic 40 time wasn't enough to warrant a pick in the first two days of the draft, but he heard his name called on the fourth day courtesy of Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks, who took Griffin in the fifth round at 141st overall, and pairing him in Seattle with his brother Shaquill Griffin.

7. DL: Montez Sweat, 2019 - 4.41

At 260 pounds, Montez Sweat made scouts eyes light up with his record breaking 40 time at last year's NFL combine. Sweat had already wowed scouts a few weeks earlier at the Senior Bowl, but his historic combine performance solidified his draft stock as a first-round pick. He was selected 26th overall by the Washington Redskins and chased down quarterbacks for seven sacks as a rookie.

8. OL: Terron Armstead, 2013 - 4.71

Scouts look at 40 time for every position, and Terron Armstead must have been very aware of that heading into his scouting combine in 2013. Coming out of a lesser conference at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Armstead had an uphill battle to prove himself as a promising NFL prospect, however he appeared to be running downhill in the 40-yard dash. The 304 pound Armstead's 4.71 40 time was and still is the fastest ever run by an offensive lineman, and helped earn him a third-round selection by the New Orleans Saints in the 2013 draft. Armstead proved that his speed wasn't just for stat keepers either, as he has gone on to make the last two Pro Bowls.