Top 10 All-Time Fastest Players in the NFL

[ABQCOWBOY]

Lamb Jones of the Jets was pretty fast as well. Herschel was also very fast. There are a lot of guys left off this list, to be honest. Doesn't matter, these things are popularity contests. Nothing more IMO. It's cool. I happy to see Bob Hayes at the head of this list. Makes me smile.

 

[cowboys2233]

The list was for football players. Wright doesn't qualify.

Exactly. You could probably thrown Randall Williams into that mix too. But they deserve no respect and no recognition. :laugh2:

 

[cowboys2233]

There is something wrong with that.

They were bringing it up on Sports Reporters the other day. It sounds kind of cynical, but one has to wonder if this is all natural. I hope so. I know he's been tested a dozen times, but track and field IS looking at Jamaica intensely, and if you've got a goverment backing you as an athlete, who knows what is possible?

The last time I saw someone that dominant was Ben Johnson. And I know Flo Jo was on the juice, even though she never got caught. And it took a long time to bust Marion Jones, etc.

 

[jterrell]

Lamb Jones of the Jets was pretty fast as well. Herschel was also very fast. There are a lot of guys left off this list, to be honest. Doesn't matter, these things are popularity contests. Nothing more IMO. It's cool. I happy to see Bob Hayes at the head of this list. Makes me smile.

The list is comprised merely of 'official' NFL times.
So they had to run them at NFL events like the Combine or NFL's Fastest Man comps.

 

[jterrell]

They were bringing it up on Sports Reporters the other day. It sounds kind of cynical, but one has to wonder if this is all natural. I hope so. I know he's been tested a dozen times, but track and field IS looking at Jamaica intensely, and if you've got a goverment backing you as an athlete, who knows what is possible?

The last time I saw someone that dominant was Ben Johnson. And I know Flo Jo was on the juice, even though she never got caught. And it took a long time to bust Marion Jones, etc.

Johnson, Flo Jo and even Marion to a lesser extent were pretty muscular. I don't know if the kid is on juice or not but he is as muscular as olive oil so it must be some weird gazelle steroid

 

[DasTex]

It has to be done...




Where is Stanback??

 

[cowboys2233]

Johnson, Flo Jo and even Marion to a lesser extent were pretty muscular. I don't know if the kid is on juice or not but he is as muscular as olive oil so it must be some weird gazelle steroid

Could be! :laugh2:

I know people try to explain by saying he has a much longer stride than most, which is true, but you generally don't see one without the other. Longer striders don't have the power or burst of a shorter-legged guy. Just physics. Which is why they talk about tall people normally not being great starters out of the blocks.

But this guy combined everything and some illegal supplement could have a lot to do with that. The physics behind running fast are strange though, Deion had the absolute skinniest legs in the NFL and you see how that held him back!

I hope he's clean, because it's a great story.

 

[joseephuss]

Lamb Jones of the Jets was pretty fast as well. Herschel was also very fast. There are a lot of guys left off this list, to be honest. Doesn't matter, these things are popularity contests. Nothing more IMO. It's cool. I happy to see Bob Hayes at the head of this list. Makes me smile.

I have to agree on the popularity contest aspect. There are a lot of fast guys that have played in the NFL. Looks likes this list was comprised of guys that were both fast and contributed something on the field. Some contributed more than others.

Guys like Lamb Jones hardly made a blip in his 5 years in the NFL. Alexander Wright did even less. Ron Brown really did not do too much more than Lamb Jones over his career althouh he did have 3 kick off returns for a TD in one season. Bo Jackson was extremely fast and made quite a splash, but in the big scheme he hardly did anything. Bo Jackson and Julius Jones both played 4 years in the NFL and Julius has more rushing yards and TDs. I could see room for Herschel Walker or James Jett on that list along with several other candidates.

 

[2much2soon]

Bo Jackson - 4.12 (1986 NFL Combine)


He was overrated as far as actual game performance and stats but not his 40 time.

Yea, over 500 career carries with a near 5 and half career ypc was just a mirage. For the most part with no football training camp and playing another pro sport for half of the year. Dude was totally over-rated.

 

[AdamJT13]

10. Ron Brown
9. Cliff Branch
8. Devin Hester
7. Willie Gault
6. Randy Moss
5. Joey Galloway
4. Deion Sanders
3. Bo Jackson
2. Darrell Green
1. Bob Hayes

No Jimmy Hines on the list = zero credibility. He should be No. 1.

And Devin Hester is NOT that fast, no matter what some video game says. Hester ran track in college. His speed is a known entity, and it's not anywhere close to the top 10 in NFL history.

 

[Hostile]

No Jimmy Hines on the list = zero credibility. He should be No. 1.

And Devin Hester is NOT that fast, no matter what some video game says. Hester ran track in college. His speed is a known entity, and it's not anywhere close to the top 10 in NFL history.

I know Hines played briefly for the Dolphins (unless I am remembering the wrong guy. Olympian like Hayes. I seem to remember that mentioned often.), but I don't remember him doing much. The rest all had at least fair careers. Hines was scary fast though.

 

[AdamJT13]

FWIW Bolt's first 40 was clocked in 3.6 apparently.​

There is something wrong with that.

It is wrong. Bolt ran the first 40 yards in 4.19 seconds.

Apparently, some doofus at ESPN or something just divided Bolt's 9.69 by 2.734 (which you would do to convert 100 meters to 40 yards), forgetting that people don't start out running at full speed.

Here are Bolt's 10-meter splits from his 9.69 --

RT 0.165
10 1.685
20 1.02
30 0.91
40 0.87
50 0.85
60 0.82
70 0.82
80 0.82
90 0.83
100 0.90

Forty yards is 36.576 meters. Bolt's running time through 30 meters was 3.615 seconds, plus .572 for the next 6.576 meters, which means his running time for the first 40 yards equates to 4.19 seconds.

 

[AdamJT13]

I know Hines played briefly for the Dolphins (unless I am remembering the wrong guy. Olympian like Hayes. I seem to remember that mentioned often.), but I don't remember him doing much. The rest all had at least fair careers. Hines was scary fast though.

He didn't do much -- was that a qualification for being on the list? -- but he was in the NFL for a couple of seasons. He also held the world record in the 100 meters for 15 years and still has the fastest 100 meters ever run by anyone who ever played in the NFL -- 9.95 seconds.

 

[cowboys2233]

Apparently, some doofus at ESPN or something just divided Bolt's 9.69 by 2.734 (which you would do to convert 100 meters to 40 yards), forgetting that people don't start out running at full speed.

Danny Amendola does.

 

[joseephuss]

It is wrong. Bolt ran the first 40 yards in 4.19 seconds.

Apparently, some doofus at ESPN or something just divided Bolt's 9.69 by 2.734 (which you would do to convert 100 meters to 40 yards), forgetting that people don't start out running at full speed.

Here are Bolt's 10-meter splits from his 9.69 --

RT 0.165
10 1.685
20 1.02
30 0.91
40 0.87
50 0.85
60 0.82
70 0.82
80 0.82
90 0.83
100 0.90

Forty yards is 36.576 meters. Bolt's running time through 30 meters was 3.615 seconds, plus .572 for the next 6.576 meters, which means his running time for the first 40 yards equates to 4.19 seconds.

Even then the doofus at ESPN got it wrong. It would be 3.54 seconds not 3.6.

4.19 seconds in 40 yards is extremely fast and Bolt isn't even fast out of the blocks. He is just fast.

 

[cowboys2233]

Even then the doofus at ESPN got it wrong. It would be 3.54 seconds not 3.6.

4.19 seconds in 40 yards is extremely fast and Bolt isn't even fast out of the blocks. He is just fast.

Yes, and because of that, I'm highly skeptical of Bo Jackson's supposed 4.12 forty. He is a big guy too (slow start) and no way is he still hanging with Bolt at 40 meters.

 

[bbgun]

How can you be named "Rocket" Ismail and not make the list?

 

[Hostile]

He didn't do much -- was that a qualification for being on the list? -- but he was in the NFL for a couple of seasons. He also held the world record in the 100 meters for 15 years and still has the fastest 100 meters ever run by anyone who ever played in the NFL -- 9.95 seconds.

I have no idea on the qualifications just thinking most reporters would not even remember he played. I remember him because of the comparisons to Hayes' speed.

I half expected to see Renaldo Nehemiah on the list, but he was faster as a hurdler and I think not as fast as that top 10. Really other than Hines I can't think of anyone they did miss.

 

[cowboys2233]

How can you be named "Rocket" Ismail and not make the list?

When you play for Notre Dame.

 

[Hostile]

Yes, and because of that, I'm highly skeptical of Bo Jackson's supposed 4.12 forty. He is a big guy too (slow start) and no way is he still hanging with Bolt at 40 meters.

I saw Bo play live one time at Auburn. He was a God amongst puny humans and is the fastest guy I ever saw live. He had unreal speed and it was immediate. I mean, take your breath away fast. Combined with his size I still say he is the most impressive athlete I ever saw.

I also got to see him play Spring Training baseball here in Tucson. He hit a ball further than I have ever seen anyone hit one. At Hi-Corbett Field there used to be a 40 foot tall Marlboro Man billboard in Center field. Center was 420 feet. The top of the billboard was 40 feet above that. He cleared that sign by a good 10 feet on a blast.

Bo was a freak.