Fastest NFL players ever?

[Nors]

Good post from the internet below

1) Bob Hayes
2) Cliff Branch
3) Darrell Green
4) Deion
5) Bo Jackson

In the vicinity

Lam Jones
Ron Brown
Rod Woodson - was hurdler
Roy Green
Joey Galloway
Michael Bennett
Herschell Walker
Randy Moss
Renaldo Nehemia
Vance Law
Bethel Johnson


In Reply to: Re: fastest football player ever?? posted byFred on January 07, 2002 at 19:00:50:

: : I think the fastest foofball player ever was Bob Hayes without a doubt. With today's knowledge of sprinting,training,food supplements,hsi coaching,etc.. Who knows what kind of crazy times this guy would have run!! But he also got involved in drugs like everone else!! Sprinters today should run like mo greene, and of course the great carl lewis!! my top ten football speed demons: 1.bob "bullet" hayes 2.Johnny "lam" jones 3.joey galloway 4.ron brown 5.cliff branch 6. darrell green 7. phillip epps 8.alexander wright 9. james jett 10. raghib "rocket" ismail ** I did not include Deion Sanders,although he ran a legit 4.19 or 4.20 and Bo Jackson (4.21). I believe in a 100 meter dash, both deion and bo would get smoked!!... by the likes of say Joey Galloway,James Jett, or Rocket Ismail. Or they would be caught from behind on the field by of course Darrell Green!! Darr prime, race Maurice over 40 yards like in the NFL'S FASTEST MAN COMPETITION which Darrell has NEVER LOST!!(He has raced against Willie Gault,Ron Brown,Sam Graddy,Phillip Epps,etc. and has not lost). I think MO would definately win, but Darrell is a rocket. What do you guys think?? Also, what about Jon Drummond and his unbelievable rocket starts, do you think he would also beat Darrell over 40-60yards??? I am very curious about what you other guys think about my top ten,and the race between Darrell vs. MO, and Darrell vs. J.D. thanks!!!

: Allright everybody! Listen up! Oakland Raiders teams have been notorious for their speed burners and they have had some of the fastest men on earth grace their rosters! They say on any given day any one of the world's top ten sprinters could be the fastest that day given the right conditions! I may be going out on a limb here but bear with me please! It is my humble opinion that the NFL's Fastest Man of All Time-in his youthful prime-has to be the GREAT Cliff Branch!!! At the U of Colorado Cliff ran a legit 8.97 sec. 100-yard dash as well as a documented 4.13 40-yard time!! On a particular kick-off return at UC Keith Jackson of ABC's NCAA football coverage fame recalled " ...It is the first and only time a player on a TD kickoff return managed to run out-of-frame!! Branch was moving so fast the ABC cameraman with 15+ years of experience could not pan his camera fast enough to keep Branch in frame!!" When Branch arrived at Oakland Raiders training camp he made a few hearts stop and a few coaches grin with a 4.1, a 4.2 and then another 4.1 in the forty! All of those times within the first five minutes of Branch's first day of training camp! I know because I was there!! My name is Fred and I wore #25 alongside the NFL's Fastest Man! Cliff Branch!! Thank you! Fred!
Johnny Ekström

 

[Irving Cowboy]

No mention of Alexander Wright??

 

[Nors]

No mention of Alexander Wright??

Gets me upset to this day what a bust he was.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Honestly, Bo Jackson was probably the fastest ever is his prime, the only NFL player I ever heard of running a 4.1 40.

 

[Nors]

Honestly, Bo Jackson was probably the fastest ever is his prime, the only NFL player I ever heard of running a 4.1 40.

Won Gold medals, he's concensus #1 fastest. Bo was actually too big. I doubt he was faster than Darrel Green even. But in the top 5!

 

[The30YardSlant]

Won Gold medals, he's concensus #1 fastest. Bo was actually too big. I doubt he was faster than Darrel Green even. But in the top 5!

Ill take Bo in a race against Green anyday.

 

[StanleySpadowski]

Anytime someone mentions a football player's forty and uses 4.1 or 4.2, that person has NO idea what the heck they're talking about.

Sprinters on their way to world records seldom get below 4.35. Any player that legitimately runs in the low 4.4's is almost world class.

Speed on the track all relative though, some "track speed" just doesn't translate once the pads are put on. A player like Hayes used that speed and transformed the game into what we know. Others like Nehemiah couldn't make the leap and became a footnote in history.


The next time someone pimps a player's forty time as meaningful, remember the story of an organization (who shall remain nameless) that fell in love with a player because of his incredible 40 time when they held a private workout. Turned out that the 40 yards that they had set up was really only something like 37 yards long. Combine that with a fast thumb, and a team wasted a draft pick on a bum.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Anytime someone mentions a football player's forty and uses 4.1 or 4.2, that person has NO idea what the heck they're talking about.

Sprinters on their way to world records seldom get below 4.35. Any player that legitimately runs in the low 4.4's is almost world class.

Speed on the track all relative though, some "track speed" just doesn't translate once the pads are put on. A player like Hayes used that speed and transformed the game into what we know. Others like Nehemiah couldn't make the leap and became a footnote in history.


The next time someone pimps a player's forty time as meaningful, remember the story of an organization (who shall remain nameless) that fell in love with a player because of his incredible 40 time when they held a private workout. Turned out that the 40 yards that they had set up was really only something like 37 yards long. Combine that with a fast thumb, and a team wasted a draft pick on a bum.

Bo Jackson was clocked by official NFL rules at 4.1 in his first few years in the NFL. Yes, he is THAT fast. And 4.4 is NOT world class and you are kidding yourself if you think it is. I was clocked at 4.46 in High School and I am by no means a world class runner. Half the WRs in this league run a 4.5 or better. Same wirth RBs.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

What? You mean Renaldo "Skeets" Neamiah is not on the list? He may have sucked as a WR but the guy could flat out fly.

 

[Nors]

What? You mean Renaldo "Skeets" Neamiah is not on the list? He may have sucked as a WR but the guy could flat out fly.

He supposedly ran a 4.1 hand over hurdles - impressed Bill Walsh. He was as fast as they come. He hung around a few years in the NFL - Nothing notable but speed like that can keep a Safety and corner honest.

 

[Merlin]

Anytime someone mentions a football player's forty and uses 4.1 or 4.2, that person has NO idea what the heck they're talking about.

Sprinters on their way to world records seldom get below 4.35. Any player that legitimately runs in the low 4.4's is almost world class.

Speed on the track all relative though, some "track speed" just doesn't translate once the pads are put on. A player like Hayes used that speed and transformed the game into what we know. Others like Nehemiah couldn't make the leap and became a footnote in history.


The next time someone pimps a player's forty time as meaningful, remember the story of an organization (who shall remain nameless) that fell in love with a player because of his incredible 40 time when they held a private workout. Turned out that the 40 yards that they had set up was really only something like 37 yards long. Combine that with a fast thumb, and a team wasted a draft pick on a bum.

Wayyy off base here. A 40 time is just that, a timed 40. World class speed is timed at 100 m. There is a big difference between the 40 and the 100. There are some real fast guys off there that have sub 4.4's in the 40 but the 60 & 100 require that you have speed,strength, and endurance. A world class sprinter doesn't get up to top speed until after the first 30 or so meters. You have to train to be a world class sprinter, I could care less what your 40 time is. I would imagine that Carl Lewis didn't have a great 40 time because he speed didnt kick in until the part of the race.

 

[StanleySpadowski]

Bo Jackson was clocked by official NFL rules at 4.1 in his first few years in the NFL. Yes, he is THAT fast. And 4.4 is NOT world class and you are kidding yourself if you think it is. I was clocked at 4.46 in High School and I am by no means a world class runner. Half the WRs in this league run a 4.5 or better. Same wirth RBs.

NO ONE in history has ever run the forty in the 4.1's, taking the best 10 meter split times in all of track history and combining them into a single person then converting them to yards barely yields a time under 4.2.

 

[StanleySpadowski]

Wayyy off base here. A 40 time is just that, a timed 40. World class speed is timed at 100 m. There is a big difference between the 40 and the 100. There are some real fast guys off there that have sub 4.4's in the 40 but the 60 & 100 require that you have speed,strength, and endurance. A world class sprinter doesn't get up to top speed until after the first 30 or so meters. You have to train to be a world class sprinter, I could care less what your 40 time is. I would imagine that Carl Lewis didn't have a great 40 time because he speed didnt kick in until the part of the race.

No, you're Wayyy off base here. The fastest people at 100 m also happen to be the fastest at 50 m or 40 y or any particular yardage in between.

Lewis, like every other sprinter, accelerates up to about 60 m or so then tries to maintain their speed through the last 40 m to the best of their ability. He simply maintained better than most, hence the appearance of a "kick".

 

[Hostile]

I still say Deion was the fastest I ever saw. He could go into that high leg kick and still add distance between himself and the pursuers.

 

[Nors]

I can't find it factually -

It is mentioned that only 2 people have run under 4.30 at the combine. Deion at 4.25 and Bo at 4.19. Tnew I believe ran a 4.39 at the combine.
J Reeves may even have run faster.


The 40 can measure quickness and speed. Deion was both quick and Fast. He to my eyes was the fastest player I ever saw in person. Never saw Bullet or Bo play.

 

[The30YardSlant]

NO ONE in history has ever run the forty in the 4.1's, taking the best 10 meter split times in all of track history and combining them into a single person then converting them to yards barely yields a time under 4.2.

Ivory Crockett ran a 8.9 second 100 yard dash in 1974 and, get this, ran a 3.9 40.

 

[KINGBRICE_28]

I'm gonna try to take people's word for it that "the bullet" was faster than darrell......

My father has a signed photo of darrell when he ran a 4.12 40 yard dash. I didn't believe it until deion ran 4.2......

I heard once by a guy on extremeskins that maurice green ran a 3.9 in the 40. He said it was in "underground records" but I never found a site to prove it......

I've never seen Proof someone was faster than darrell on the football field but then again I never saw bob hayes play......who knows

Ivory Crockett 3.9?!?!?.....Ya think it was hand timed???......I don't trust those anymore......People are up to (.3) seconds off when hand timing......(.3) is the difference between me and jerry rice in the 40.....lol.....and thats a h*ll of a difference.......

 

[The30YardSlant]

I'm gonna try to take people's word for it that "the bullet" was faster than darrell......

My father has a signed photo of darrell when he ran a 4.12 40 yard dash. I didn't believe it until deion ran 4.2......

I heard once by a guy on extremeskins that maurice green ran a 3.9 in the 40. He said it was in "underground records" but I never found a site to prove it......

I've never seen Proof someone was faster than darrell on the football field but then again I never saw bob hayes play......who knows

Ivory Crockett 3.9?!?!?.....Ya think it was hand timed???......I don't trust those anymore......People are up to (.3) seconds off when hand timing......(.3) is the difference between me and jerry rice in the 40.....lol.....and thats a h*ll of a difference.......

Actually, the average is only .1 seconds, so even if thats true that means he still ran a 4.0 40.

 

[KINGBRICE_28]

Actually, the average is only .1 seconds, so even if thats true that means he still ran a 4.0 40.

? source?.....I read (+/- .3 ) in the st.petersburg times......Who told you ( +/- .1 ) ??

If it's (+/- .1 ) I guess it makes me look better

 

[Nors]

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/wiley/020920.html

Today I have :

Bullet Bob - 10.05 100 yards in 1964
Green - 10.08 I found verified

Bo at 4.19 combine
Deion at 4.25 combine

Green beat Gault, Woodson and every NFL player for 15+ years at NFL's faster man competions. Never once lost