The 40-Yard Dash is the showstopper event of the NFL Combine. NFL hopefuls will jump and lift and take tight turns during their stints in Indianapolis, but none of those drills compare to the thrill of running in a straight line for 4 to 5 seconds. Dozens of college football’s finest across all position groups will run the 40 in the coming days, though spotlighted here are a few of the biggest names with something to prove – or worry about – when their time comes to run football’s most famous footrace.
Four 40-Yard Dash Times to Watch at the 2023 NFL Combine
C.J. Stroud (QB – Ohio State)
Benchmark Time: 4.75
Although I’m kicking this off with a QB, it’s probably the position for which the Combine drills – including the 40 – are the most meaningless. Like, Justin Fields ran a 4.43 and was still the fourth QB selected. Still, for QB prospects with debatable athleticism and mobility, the 40 can be a prove-it event. Mitch Trubisky (4.67), Josh Allen (4.75), Daniel Jones (4.72), Justin Herbert (4.68), and Kenny Pickett (4.73) all boosted their stock by clocking at or beneath that 4.75-second threshold. If Stroud runs closer to Jared Goff‘s 4.82, that shouldn’t necessarily hurt his stock. But a faster-than-expected time could go a long way toward Stroud’s QB1 narrative.
Zach Charbonnet (RB – UCLA)
Benchmark Time: 4.54 to 4.60
I’m cheating a bit here by listing a range for Charbonnet because 40 times for running backs are often the toughest to predict. I was floored when Breece Hall ran a 4.39 last year, while Isaiah Spiller‘s 4.64 was equally shocking but on the other side of the spectrum. (Granted, Hall ran on Indy’s turf while Spiller ran at Texas A&M’s Pro Day.) Charbonnet currently figures to be a Day 2 selection, yet that could be anywhere from the top of Round 2 to the bottom of Round 3. Only one RB with a 40 time above 4.60 has been selected within the first two rounds of the Draft since 2018: Ronald Jones (4.65), who only had 23 total carries and was often a healthy scratch as a rookie for the Buccaneers. A 40 time in that undesirable range also transformed David Montgomery (4.63) from a potential first-rounder and “Running Back Frankenstein” into a Round 3 pick. Meanwhile, clearing the 4.54-second threshold has helped RBs with similar physical running styles to Charbonnet, like Nick Chubb (4.52, 35th overall pick in 2018). If Charbonnet happens to crush it and break 4.50, then we could even be on Rashaad Penny (4.46) watch for a surprise first-rounder.
Jalin Hyatt (WR – Tennessee)
Benchmark Time: 4.30
Outside of perhaps Devon Achane, there isn’t a 40 that’s more heavily anticipated than Hyatt’s. We know the Biletnikoff Award-winning speedster is going to fly; the question is just how fast. I wrote earlier that the league doesn’t totally care about 40 times for QBs, but that couldn’t be further from the truth for wideouts. Only 11 WRs have hit or broken an official 4.30 number at the Combine since 2009, and that catapulted three of them to the top half of Round 1: John Ross (4.22), Henry Ruggs (4.27), and Darrius Heyward-Bey (4.30). As silly as it sounds to get into literal milliseconds here, we’ve seen productive college WRs who narrowly missed that 4.30 threshold fall into Day 2, like Curtis Samuel (4.31) and Parris Campbell (4.31). Perhaps Hyatt could still land in Round 1 even if he narrowly misses joining this elite club, like Will Fuller (4.32, 21st overall pick in 2016), but his best shot at reshaping the WR rankings in this class is with a legendarily blazing time.
Michael Mayer (TE – Notre Dame)
Benchmark Time: 4.71
There have been 10 tight ends selected in Round 1 since 2010, and all of them ran below 4.71 in the 40. You have to go back to Brandon Pettigrew (4.86) in 2009 to find a slower TE, and Mayer figures to cut it close. I’m nitpicking again by milliseconds here, but data is data, and guys who made it while cutting it close – like TJ Hockenson (4.70) – typically had elite performances in other movement drills; I’m not sure that’ll be the case for Mayer. It might seem unfair to single out Mayer for this benchmark when Darnell Washington of Georgia might not crack it either, but Washington is 280 pounds and can likely get away with a 4.80 without it hurting his stock. Mayer is a more prototypical Y tight end, so recent history is against him if he can’t crack 4.71.
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