NFL
Who are the fastest players in the NFL 2021 season?
The NFL season starts this weekend when the Cowboys face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A long-standing question in the NFL is, who are the fastest players in the league? Unfortunately, this is a tricky question to answer as there is no accurate metric to calculate this, nor is there an annual race that can tell which player is the fastest.
Moreover, the best way to calculate and a metric is to cite 40-yard dash times. Most NFL league players don't pass the 40 yards on a single play. Thus, it makes the most sense to clock them within this parameter. Keep in mind that these athletes run with pads and an offensive or defensive line pushing or attempting to stop the runner from achieving its top speed.
In addition, we must consider that speed over a long-run or short-run is very different. For example, some players can sprint fast but lose momentum on a longer dash, while it can also be the other way around. Usually, the fastest players in the team are wide receivers though running backs can clock very high numbers.
These are active players who have clocked this time at a point in their career
On a 40-yard dash:
| Player | Team | Time | Position |
| John Ross | Bengals | 4.22 | WR |
| Marquise Goodwin | Eagles | 4.27 | WR |
| Henry Ruggs III | Raiders | 4.27 | WR |
| Tyreek Hill | Chiefs | 4.29 | WR |
| Javelin Guidry | Jets | 4.29 | CB |
| Curtis Samuel | Panthers | 4.31 | WR |
| Andy Isabella | Cardinals | 4.31 | WR |
| Parris Campbell | Colts | 4.31 | WR |
| Will Fuller V | Texans | 4.31 | WR |
| Raheem Mostert | 49ers | 4.32 | RB |
These times are based on NFL Next Gen Stats
The numbers show that on a 40-yard sprint, the speed achieved is around 4 seconds and 20 tenths of a second. Far from Olympic sprinters on a 100-meter dash. Suppose Usain Bolt ran in the NFL and did a 40-yard dash, taken his Olympic record of 9.59 seconds, he would run the same 40 yards at 3.99 seconds, around 20 tenths of a second faster than the fastest NFL players.