What Is The Record For The 40-Yard Dash? How To Bet The NFL Combine
When evaluating players ahead of the NFL Draft, measurements are important.
For quarterbacks, it’s helpful to know how quickly they release the ball and how far they can throw. For wide receivers, what’s their catch radius?
That evaluation also includes physical measurements. In a sport dominated by massive humans, height, weight, BMI and wingspan are indicators of future success.
It’s also imperative to know how fast players can run.
The 40-yard dash is one of the most captivating events at the NFL Scouting Combine, which takes place every year ahead of the NFL Draft. During this week-long event, NFL prospects at every position complete a series of physical tests and drills, including vertical jump, bench press, the 40-yard dash and more.
The results of these tests become key statistics on a candidate’s draft profile and help paint a picture of their athletic ability. It also makes comparing players easier.
Bettors looking for offseason action can wager on the NFL Combine, including the 40-yard dash.
Keep reading for more information on the event and how to wager on it at online sportsbooks.
40-Yard Dash NFL Record
NFL scouts have been measuring 40-yard dash times for decades, well before the first Combine in 1982.
However, measurement methods have changed. Until 1999, clockings were done manually with stopwatches. Scouts then began recording the test electronically, resulting in better measurements.
As a result, the NFL uses times from 1999 onward when referring to 40-yard dash records.
That excludes Bo Jackson’s unofficial record of 4.12 seconds (or 4.13, according to Jackson) from the 1986 Combine, measured by hand. That’s much faster than any recorded time at the NFL Combine since.
While Jackson was a remarkable athlete who also played Major League Baseball, his mark isn’t recognized as the record.
Instead, John Ross is credited as having the official 40-yard dash record at the NFL Combine. The speedy wide receiver out of the University of Washington ran it in 4.22 seconds at the 2017 Combine, breaking the record of 4.24 seconds shared by Chris Johnson (2008) and Rondel Menendez (1999).
Throwback to the 2017 NFL Combine:
John Ross set the record with a blazing 4.22-second 40-yard dash �� pic.twitter.com/CEMQtDmiJL
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) February 27, 2024
His jaw-dropping time helped him get drafted ninth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in that year’s draft. Ross ended up with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards in his five-year career, showing that pure speed doesn’t always translate to NFL success.
Baylor cornerback Kalon Barnes nearly matched Ross in 2022, finishing the test in 4.23 seconds.
Christian Coleman Has Unofficial 40-Yard Dash Record
While the 40-yard dash is not an Olympic event and is rarely run outside of American football settings, several world-class sprinters have put their wheels to the test to see how they stack up.
The unofficial record belongs to American Olympic sprinter Christian Coleman, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.12 seconds on turf in 2017.
�� Christian Coleman dropped a crazy 4.12 in the 40-yard dash which would easily be a combine record ����
Which football player wants smoke ��
— RoriDunk (@FitzDunk) May 31, 2023
Usain Bolt also took a crack at the 40-yard dash. Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in February 2019, the Jamaican sprinting legend ran it in 4.22 seconds – equaling the NFL record.
Bolt had been retired for a year and a half, so he wasn’t in his prime. He set his 100m world record of 9.58 in 2009. He was also wearing running shoes and a tracksuit, so he likely would have been faster if he’d been wearing cleats and a normal running uniform.
These tests show that NFL players are indeed among the fastest athletes in the world. However, they’re not as fast as Olympic sprinters.
How to Bet on 40-Yard Dash
Some sportsbooks offer betting markets on NFL Combine events, including the 40-yard dash.
For example, DraftKings Sportsbook offered following 40-yard dash wagers available in select states, including whether someone will break the record.
Anyone to Break 40-Yard Dash Combine Record (4.22 Seconds)
- Yes (faster than 4.22 seconds): +425
- No (slower than 4.22 seconds): -650
The odds were available in the legal sports betting states of Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wyoming, Washington, Kansas and Maryland.
In this case, if someone ties the record at exactly 4.22 seconds, the bet would grade as a push and you would get your money back.
While the odds in 2024 were long, records are made to be broken. Someone will pass Ross eventually, as several players have already come close.
In the last four NFL Combines from 2020 to 2023, five different players ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds or less. That includes Barnes, who finished 0.01 seconds behind Ross’s mark in 2022.
At plus odds, “Yes” would pay out nicely if someone passes Ross. A $10 wager would return $42.50 in profits.
If you don’t want to take the risk there, you can also wager on the fastest 40-yard dash.
Fastest 40-Yard Dash Time
- Faster than 4.265 seconds: -115
- Slower than 4.265 seconds: -115
On the one hand, “Slower” looks like the safer bet. Only six players have run faster than 4.265 seconds in the electronic timer era.
However, three of those instances happened in the last two years, indicating that runners may be getting faster. The fastest NFL Combine time was 4.23 seconds in 2022 and 4.26 seconds in 2023, making “Faster” a viable play as well.
If you trust the long-term historical trend, back “Slower.” If you put more weight on recent events, take “Faster.”
However you wager, remember that Combine times are unpredictable and have incredibly thin margins, so we don’t recommend investing too much money on these prop bets.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
