Who's the fastest running back or wide receiver in the NFL?

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

Prime Time

PT
Moderator
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
20,922
Name
Peter
No, Tavon Austin wasn't on that list or mentioned in either of these two articles.
****************************************************************************
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ed-23-mph-had-two-fastest-runs-of-nfl-season/

Tyreek Hill topped 23 mph, had two fastest runs of NFL season
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 26, 2017

630775078.jpg
Getty Images

Tyreek Hill is the fastest player in the NFL. If you couldn’t tell that by watching him play, the NFL’s high-tech stats confirm it.

The league has released some of the data from its “Next Gen Stats,” including the fastest runs of the 2016 season. And Hill, the Chiefs’ rookie receiver and return man, had both the fastest and the second-fastest top speed in the league.

Hill reached a top speed of 23.24 miles per hour on a Week Two kickoff return that he ran back 105 yards, only to have it called back by a holding penalty. That was the only time all season any player reached 23 mph. Hill also had the second-fastest run of the season, an 86-yard touchdown return in Week 12.

The fastest speed reached by a player not named Tyreek Hill was achieved by Washington receiver DeSean Jackson, who topped out at 22.6 miles an hour on a 59-yard catch in Week 13. The fastest defensive play was made by Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who reached 22.4 miles an hour on a 100-yard interception return touchdown in Week 11.

The fastest person in the world, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, has been timed at over 27 miles an hour, so Hill isn’t quite at world-class speed. But Bolt doesn’t have to wear pads and have people trying to tackle him. What Hill does on a football field is as impressive an athletic feat as you’ll see anywhere.

http://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/fastest-nfl-players-right-now.html/?a=viewall

The 5 Fastest Players in the NFL Right Now
Kofi Bofah/December 09, 2016

The time-honored cliches, “speed kills” and “you can’t coach speed,” are true. The fastest NFL players can shred the perfect defense and go the distance on any given play. Opposing teams must account for these electric performers at all times. This extra attention creates space for all offensive personnel to go to work.

On the other side of the football, speedsters can play lock-down, man-to-man defense and chase down plays from the weak-side across the formation. A real burner will put in spot duty on special teams as a return man when the team needs a spark. Football speed, in pads, is different than straightaway speed measured with a stopwatch on a fast track.

Even the great Jerry Rice ran a rather pedestrian 4.71 40-yard dash. On game day, however, he flashed wide open on drag routes across the middle before hauling in the football, turning the corner, and racing upfield past the defense for six.

Alternatively, Darrius Heyward-Bey’s professional career never got off the ground despite literally breaking stopwatches at the NFL combine. The following current NFL players represent the ideal combination of lateral quickness, acceleration, agility, and raw top-line speed.

5. Julio Jones

This is (almost) unfair. Julio Jones measures out at six-foot-three and 217 pounds — and he is bigger than Adrian Peterson. At the combine, Jones clocked in at 4.39 in the 40-yard dash as the most physically gifted wide receiver to enter the draft since Randy Moss. Yes, Jones is faster than Antonio Brown and Odell Beckam, Jr., who are both burners in their own right.

The 27-year-old is a matchup nightmare. As a possession receiver, Jones can use his big body to wall off defenders on slants and quick outs right at the sticks. On wide receiver screens, he will haul in the pass, before throwing out a stiff-arm on the defensive back and racing down the sidelines.

In response, defensive coordinators will often call for Cover 2, with a corner cheating up toward the line of scrimmage being backed up with safety help over the top.

Still, Jones can easily outrun this double coverage before quarterback Matt Ryan drops in a deep bomb. For his career, he is averaging 15.1 yards per catch as the ultimate big-play threat. Last year, Jones led the league in both receptions (136) and yards (1,871).

Ironically, the top-end speed was on full display when he found himself as a defender, chasing Tampa Bay linebacker Kwon Alexander 85 yards downfield to stop a pick-six.

4. DeSean Jackson

At 30 years old, DeSean Jackson is still one of the fastest men in the NFL. He ran a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. Then the Philadelphia Eagles picked him in the 2008 draft. Jackson was at his best in 2010, when he paired up with a reinvigorated Michael Vick to torch the competition. That year, Jackson came down with 47 receptions for 1,056 yards — a blistering 22.5 yards-per-catch average.

For the play of the year, Jackson actually muffed a punt against the New York Giants, before picking the football back up at his own 25. From there, he drifted to his right, before feinting back to the left and turning on the jets upfield.

After shaking two tacklers and hurtling over the punter, Jackson got a block and turned on another gear at the 50-yard line. From there, he was so far behind the Giants coverage that he actually tiptoed horizontally alongside the goal-line to run out the clock before scoring the touchdown.

The Philadelphia Eagles won this game 38-31. A irate Tom Coughlin screamed at punter Matt Dodge for actually kicking the football to Jackson. Matt Dodge found himself out of a job immediately thereafter.

For his career, Jackson has averaged 18 yards per catch to go with 50 total touchdowns, as a receiver, on the ground, and in the return game. For 2016, Jackson will have another big year in Washington, if Kirk Cousins can get him the football.

3. Brandin Cooks

Brandin Cooks is one of the more underrated and least recognized burners in the NFL. Cooks played his college ball at Oregon State, in the shadows of the Mighty Ducks of the Pacific Northwest. Now, Cooks finds himself in another small market.

His Saints club that hasn’t made the playoffs through his first two seasons. Still, Cooks is only 23; he has plenty of time to play pitch-and-catch with Drew Brees on the Superdome fast track — and introduce himself to fans.

Cooks is often compared against Rams wideout Tavon Austin in terms of both speed and stature. On paper, both of these athletes measure out near 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds and run a sub-4.35 40-yard dash. In real time, however, Cooks does show better acceleration; he is one shade quicker in and out of his breaks as a route runner.

For this, Cooks hauled in 84 receptions for 1,138 yards and nine touchdowns last season, while obliterating concerns that he was a one-dimensional speedster. For Week 1 this year, Drew Brees hit Cooks in stride from the back of his own end-zone. Cooks then sprinted down the sideline and celebrated capping off the 98-yard pass play in front of a raucous New Orleans crowd.

2. Patrick Peterson

Patrick Peterson is the closest thing to Deion Sanders we can get. Peterson already admitted to modeling his game after Sanders, right down to the high-stepping and flashy touchdown celebrations. For a more direct comparison, he may be one small step slower than Deion. However, he is a much more physical presence and willing tackler out on the edge.

Either way, both Peterson and Deion Sanders were ready for Prime Time, after clocking at 4.34 and 4.27 in the 40-yard dash, respectively. Peterson is at his best in press coverage, when he will line up directly across from the other team’s best receiver and track him all over the field, with no safety help over the top.

Last year, in Week 6, Peterson limited the flashy Antonio Brown to only three catches for 24 yards. Taken together, Peterson and the Honey Badger form the best secondary in football this side of Seattle. These two already combine for 27 interceptions and six return touchdowns well before the age of 30.

The Cards have one of the best defenses in the league again. Jones is pressuring the quarterback off the edge and Peterson is jumping hot routes out in the flat. He will remain in the game to field punts after harassing the opposing offense into yet another three-and-out. In the return game, Peterson will set up his blocks beautifully, before weaving in and out of traffic and hitting the turbo button to daylight.

1. Ted Ginn Jr.

Ted Ginn Jr. would have emerged as the latest track-and-field star, if it were not for football. In high school, he won the state title in 200 meters and the national championship in the 110-meter hurdles. As a high school senior, Ginn did clock out at 10.2 in the 100-meter dash, which was already then a mere four-tenths of a second off the record pace of Usain Bolt.

Ohio State actually recruited Ginn to run track. Then coach Russ Rogers believed that the Cleveland product had a chance to make the 2008 Olympics. Ginn, of course, dedicated himself to football instead.

As a Buckeye, Ginn kicked off the 2007 BCS National Championship Game by taking the opening kickoff 92 yards to the house against Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators. Ginn, however, sprained his foot beneath the dog-pile in this wild celebration and still wore a cast through the ensuing NFL combine in Indianapolis.

If not for this freak injury, Ginn was all but set to run a sub 4.3 40-yard and challenge the combine record. Still, he went to the Miami Dolphins as the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft. For his second year, Ginn had racked up 56 catches for 790 yards, before landing in San Francisco.

As a 49er Ginn was well behind Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham, and even a 35-year-old Randy Moss on the wide-receiver depth chart, while also competing with Vernon Davis for touches.

As a return man, Ginn took three touchdowns to the house through three years in San Francisco. He is at his best in Carolina, where he is the primary deep threat for Cam Newton. Ginn has already carved out a 10-year career for himself as the fastest man in the NFL.

Statistics courtesy of ESPN and Pro-Football-Reference.
 

A.J. Hicks

Hall of Fame
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Messages
2,635
Name
zoomy
Tavon has said it himself. He doesn't have the top speed of some of the guys in the league but he does have elite quickness. Not even in a phone booth.

I hope that our new coaching staff can get that quickness to be accessible with route running and combination routes.
 

ramfan46

Pro Bowler
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
1,300
Tavon has said it himself. He doesn't have the top speed of some of the guys in the league but he does have elite quickness. Not even in a phone booth.

I hope that our new coaching staff can get that quickness to be accessible with route running and combination routes.

He needs to be catching balls every day. I love Tay, but he's terrified of contact when the ball is in the air. Call up Rev Ike and Uncle Torry and go to school Tavon. If you get bored of them, call up Henry Ellard! It's a travesty the quality of WR play the Rams have had for last decade. Bring in Jackson!! Still got that blazing speed! Tavon could learn a thing or ten watching Jackson track the ball.
 

A.J. Hicks

Hall of Fame
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Messages
2,635
Name
zoomy
He needs to be catching balls every day. I love Tay, but he's terrified of contact when the ball is in the air. Call up Rev Ike and Uncle Torry and go to school Tavon. If you get bored of them, call up Henry Ellard! It's a travesty the quality of WR play the Rams have had for last decade. Bring in Jackson!! Still got that blazing speed! Tavon could learn a thing or ten watching Jackson track the ball.

One thing you notice watching Mcvay's offense is the scheming of players open. The stacking of players to get them off free. I think he'll really benefit from those things.

He still needs a lot of work as a receiver. However he does have unreal quickness.
 

Ram65

Legend
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
9,787
I use to look forward to the fastest man in the NFL races. Darrell Green won a bunch. They should bring it back.
Ron Brown was fun to watch on KO returns. He was fast too.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/19...67105_1_green-beat-photo-finish-1984-olympics

Redskins' Green NFL's fastest
June 16, 1991
Cornerback Darrell Green of the Washington Redskins is still the National Football League's fastest man, but it took a photo finish for him to retain his title yesterday.

In the finals of the sixth annual DHL/NFL's Fastest Man Contest in Palm Desert, Calif., Green and Ron Brown of the Los Angeles Raiders were clocked in 6.17 seconds in a 60-yard race, but Green's chest was across the tape first in the photo finish.

Green, 31, has won the event all four years he's entered it -- 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991. Brown, who's now with the Los Angeles Raiders, won it the other two years.

pixel.gif

pixel.gif

Green won $25,000 for finishing first, and Brown earned $15,000 as the runner-up.

"People think I should be getting slower, but it's not happening," Green said. "I'm 31 years old and as fast as ever."

In the first two heats, Green beat Sam Graddy of the Raiders with a 6.19 clocking and ran the best time of the day (6.13) in beating Mel Gray of the Detroit Lions in his first heat.

In his last two races, Green beat two members of the 400-meter relay team that won the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics -- Graddy and Brown. The other two members of that team were Carl Lewis and Calvin Smith. Green didn't compete in the Olympics.

Brown beat Herschel Walker of the Minnesota Vikings with a 6.30 clocking and Anthony Miller of the San Diego Chargers with 6.25 time in his first two races.

In the other two races, Miller beat Tony Jones of the Housto Oilers and Graddy beat James Williams of the Buffalo Bills. The latter was decided in a photo finish.

E9 The competition will be televised by NBC on July 28.
 
Last edited:

jap

Legend
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
6,593
Tavon has said it himself. He doesn't have the top speed of some of the guys in the league but he does have elite quickness. Not even in a phone booth.

I hope that our new coaching staff can get that quickness to be accessible with route running and combination routes.

Straight line speed is virtually not that meaningful on the gridiron because players rarely run straight line during play. Electric quickness & change of direction are more useful because players will feint, stutter-step, & cut so often.
 

A.J. Hicks

Hall of Fame
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Messages
2,635
Name
zoomy
Straight line speed is virtually not that meaningful on the gridiron because players rarely run straight line during play. Electric quickness & change of direction are more useful because players will feint, stutter-step, & cut so often.

You honestly don't think straight line speed is meaningful? I mean I almost posted a Randy Moss highlight tape. There are numerous other examples.

Tavon reaches his top speed very quickly as compared to some other guys that build up. His top line speed maxes out however his quick twitch abilities are amazing.

I feel he is at his best when he is acting with instincts. This is evidenced by watching him with the ball in his hands. I'm really hoping the coaching staff sees this and gets him to run his routes like he has the ball in his hands - that is reading the defense and reacting with those quick twitch abilities. At the same time scheming him open and using him to scheme others open.
 

jap

Legend
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
6,593
You honestly don't think straight line speed is meaningful? I mean I almost posted a Randy Moss highlight tape. There are numerous other examples.

No less than Gale Sayers (aka the Kansas Comet, aka Black Magic) has said said that straight line speed is not something you see often on a football field. This answer came after fielding a flurry of queries regarding how fast he really was.

Oh, I have quoted my share of player 40-yard times on this forum and over the years, but the thing that makes Tavon special is the same thing that made Gale and Barry Sanders special---the combination of near world class speed with world class quickness.
 

DCH

Madman with a box.
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Messages
3,354
Name
Dewey
Change-of-direction without slowing down and acceleration are both more important than top-end straight-line speed. It's like... you have two cars, one goes zero to 60 in 4 seconds with rally suspension, but tops out at 120, and the other goes zero to 60 in 5.5 seconds with a top speed of 200.

Which do you want in a live-action game of Rocket League?

This was what made Marshall so deadly - yes, he had top-end speed, but he could shift his running direction ninety degrees without slowing down, appearing to bend the laws of physics. The difference between a guy like him and a guy like, say, Knile Davis (4.21 40 time, buried on the Chiefs depth chart).
 

bubbaramfan

Legend
Camp Reporter
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
7,073
Darrell Green was the best DB to ever play the game (in the modern era, Dick "Night Train" Lane in the old era).
 

LesBaker

Mr. Savant
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
17,460
Name
Les
I just posted this on another board in response to Hill's speed:

To put Hill's speed in perspective

Bolt's top end was 27 MPH like they mention but I found this:

Bolt's 2009 world record time: Bolt covered the course from a standing start at 23.35 miles per hour. However, he dashed from the 60m to the 80m mark in 1.61 seconds, approximately 27.79 mph. If he could maintain that speed over the whole 100m, with a flying start, he would record a time of 8.05 seconds.Aug 3, 2012

Hill wears about 15 pounds of gear and isn't running on a track and wearing racing shoes, so to hit the speed he did is amazing. Yes Bolt reached a peak speed of 27.79 but for Hill to reach what Bolt averaged when he set a world record is just an amazing athletic feat. It's incredible.

There should be an award for that!

 

RamFan503

Grill and Brew Master
Moderator
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
34,849
Name
Stu
He needs to be catching balls every day. I love Tay, but he's terrified of contact when the ball is in the air. Call up Rev Ike and Uncle Torry and go to school Tavon. If you get bored of them, call up Henry Ellard! It's a travesty the quality of WR play the Rams have had for last decade. Bring in Jackson!! Still got that blazing speed! Tavon could learn a thing or ten watching Jackson track the ball.
Loved me some Torry but no one shied from contact more than Torry. He even talked about it on a couple occasions. It would be unwise for TA to not do the same - especially at his size. I have only seen one occasion where TA had alligator arms for fear of being hit and that was a glaring one that resulted in an INT.

But think about it. Running TA up the gut like we all saw or into double coverage as was the case with the INT, doesn't exactly prevent contact. I really hope McVay has a better plan to take advantage of his actual skill set.

Still, TA goes after blocks very actively as he is the one initiating contact and is better able to control that.

I'm thinking though that this change in leadership will tell us a lot about TA and his future in the NFL.
 

ramfan46

Pro Bowler
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
1,300
Loved me some Torry but no one shied from contact more than Torry. He even talked about it on a couple occasions. It would be unwise for TA to not do the same - especially at his size. I have only seen one occasion where TA had alligator arms for fear of being hit and that was a glaring one that resulted in an INT.

But think about it. Running TA up the gut like we all saw or into double coverage as was the case with the INT, doesn't exactly prevent contact. I really hope McVay has a better plan to take advantage of his actual skill set.

Still, TA goes after blocks very actively as he is the one initiating contact and is better able to control that.

I'm thinking though that this change in leadership will tell us a lot about TA and his future in the NFL.

I'm not Advocating for Tavon to take hits just for the sake of it. I'm talking about when the ball is in the air he is very concerned about contact and I think it causes him to lose focus on the ball and hence the drops. Ike and Torry were very smart about getting down and getting out of bounds when they could. I have no issue with that at all. I also remember both of those guys making amazing catches on the sideline with contact. It's the pros, you're gonna get hit on some of em, might as well catch the ball.
 

RamFan503

Grill and Brew Master
Moderator
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
34,849
Name
Stu
I'm not Advocating for Tavon to take hits just for the sake of it. I'm talking about when the ball is in the air he is very concerned about contact and I think it causes him to lose focus on the ball and hence the drops. Ike and Torry were very smart about getting down and getting out of bounds when they could. I have no issue with that at all. I also remember both of those guys making amazing catches on the sideline with contact. It's the pros, you're gonna get hit on some of em, might as well catch the ball.
I just don't recall that being a big issue with TA and in fact, he has been very aggressive in blocking down field and in traffic. I'll agree on that one over the middle where he displayed major alligator arms but don't agree that it was an issue with him as a rule.

Either way, I just have a hard time getting too down or high on practically any of our offensive players until I see what should be a real offensive mind can do with them. He's not going anywhere before the next season so it would seem that we will have at least this question settled.

Cheers.
 

ramfan46

Pro Bowler
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
1,300
I just don't recall that being a big issue with TA and in fact, he has been very aggressive in blocking down field and in traffic. I'll agree on that one over the middle where he displayed major alligator arms but don't agree that it was an issue with him as a rule.

Either way, I just have a hard time getting too down or high on practically any of our offensive players until I see what should be a real offensive mind can do with them. He's not going anywhere before the next season so it would seem that we will have at least this question settled.

Cheers.

I'm not even down on Tavon. I'm just calling him out for his drops and want him to improve. I still see the guy that just destroyed the Colts in Indy. I've never called for cutting him or anything like that. He's still the most explosive player on the O and I'm excited to see how McVAY deploys him.
 

kurtfaulk

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
16,608
.

I love tavon. I praise the Lord that he finally has a competent offensive mind to work with next season. It's his time to shine the next few years.

.