About the 40 Yard Dash

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The 40 Yard Dash

Arguably, the most important metric upon which NFL Prospects are judged is the 40 yard dash. A good time in the 40 yard dash can catapult a player from the 3rd-4th round all the way up into the 1st round. Similarly, a poor 40 time can really hamper a prospect's standing in the NFL Draft.

The 40 Yard Dash was first devised by Paul Brown, Coach of Ohio State in the 1940's. The test was designed to get an accurate assessment of how quickly players can cover a punt. Since an average punt in collegiate football is around 40 yards, and average hang time is around 4.5 seconds, the 40 yard dash became a staple measurement of the athletic ability of football players.

The 40 yard dash is more important for some positions than others. For instance, the 40 Yard Dash is typically most pivotal to cornerbacks because cornerbacks have to cover the most ground of all the positions. The 40 Yard Dash is also important for wide receivers, running backs, and outside linebackers.

Positions upon which the 40 Yard Dash are given less weight or value are offensive linemen, nose tackles, kickers, punters, and quarterbacks. However, even with these positions, NFL Scouts can still get an overall idea of their athletic ability, health, and explosiveness.

One position upon which the 40 Yard Dash is taking on increased importance is quarterback. Traditional pocket passers such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Joe Montana do not require speed because in those offensive schemes the quarterback's main focus is to either throw the ball downfield or dump off a pass on a check-down to a back or a tight end.

However, as rules have changed over the years with defensive backs, and how they can jam wide receivers, the NFL has increasingly become a more vertical game. As such, NFL Offensive Coordinators have been under increased pressure to put as much speed on the field as possible. And they are doing so through the quarterback position with increased frequency.

By employing the quarterback as a viable running threat, offenses can seemingly create a competitive advantage over defenses. With a mobile quarterback that can act as an extra running back or wide receiver, an offense can seem to play with 12 players instead of 11. This can make it difficult for defenses to roll coverage over to a star receiver.

The evolution of the quarterback position can be seen through the wildcat formations. This typical college style offense presents personnel challenges for defenses, largerly through confusion. However, NFL offenses are starting to see the shortcomings of the wildcat formation. Many NFL offenses which employ the wildcat are seeing NFL defenses beginning to creep closer to the line of scrimmage because of the decreased threat of the ball carrier to make an accurate downfield throw.

It appears likely that many NFL offenses will have to develop an option quarterback to complement a more traditional pocket passer style of a quarterback. One good example are the Philadelphia Eagles who use Donovan McNabb as the traditional pocket passing quarterback. And in the wildcat formation, Michael Vick brings to bear a more athletic slashing threat as an open field runner. Unlike most wildcat offenses in the NFL, Michael Vick possesses one of the most powerful arms in the history of the NFL.

Expect to see NFL teams draft more players like Pat White of the Miami Dolphins. These players may be developed and groomed to spearhead more exotic and creative offenses such as the wildcat in order to put as much speed on the football field as possible. And, in turn, expect to see the 40 yard dash times play a larger role in the evaluation of college quarterbacks in the NFL Draft.

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40 Yard Dash Training

Notable 40 Yard Dash Times

The following list is a mix of some of the fastest players to play in the NFL as well as some of the more successful players who did not have a fast 40 Yard Dash. This is not a comprehensive list and this list is not in any particular order.

Bo Jackson: 40 Yard Dash: 4.09