Top 10 All-Time Fastest Players in the NFL

[cowboys2233]

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.

Freak enough to be leading Bolt at 40 meters? I just don't know about that Hostile... I respect Bo and all, but he is a large man and getting that mass to move faster than Bolt (who is kind of a slow starter, I know, although he had like the fifth fastest start in the finals, not exactly slow) across 40 meters is pushing it a bit. JMO.

 

[Hostile]

Freak enough to be leading Bolt at 40 meters? I just don't know about that Hostile... I respect Bo and all, but he is a large man and getting that mass to move faster than Bolt (who is kind of a slow starter, I know, although he had like the fifth fastest start in the finals, not exactly slow) across 40 meters is pushing it a bit. JMO.

I haven't said a word about Usain Bolt.

Bo was fast, and a big man.

 

[cowboys2233]

I haven't said a word about Usain Bolt.

Bo was fast, and a big man.

You didn't need to. Someone pointed out that Bo supposedly ran a 4.12 forty. Adam just pointed out that Bolt ran a 4.19 forty

4.12 is faster than 4.19. And since you referenced my post where I mentioned I was highly skeptical of Bo's 4.12 forty, I kind of put the rest together.

 

[jobberone]

I don't think Bo was any faster than Walker was. We didn't get Walker at his absolute best. Both were fast. In comparing athletes with their own era, Hayes was the fastest ever IMO. I still remember that anchor leg in the Olympics as if it were yesterday. I don't know how fast Hayes would be now. Still very fast esp when he first played.

 

[Hostile]

I don't think Bo was any faster than Walker was. We didn't get Walker at his absolute best. Both were fast. In comparing athletes with their own era, Hayes was the fastest ever IMO. I still remember that anchor leg in the Olympics as if it were yesterday. I don't know how fast Hayes would be now. Still very fast esp when he first played.

With today's training, diet, and equipment Hayes and Jesse Owens would both be unreal fast.

 

[cowboys2233]

I don't think Bo was any faster than Walker was. We didn't get Walker at his absolute best. Both were fast. In comparing athletes with their own era, Hayes was the fastest ever IMO. I still remember that anchor leg in the Olympics as if it were yesterday. I don't know how fast Hayes would be now. Still very fast esp when he first played.

I dunno 'bout that -- Walker had that stiff legged style of running, I can't imagine that would be conducive to being that fast. But as I said before, the physics behind running fast are weird, so who knows?

 

[cml750]

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

HMMMMM I wonder if he can catch a football?

 

[bbgun]

RBs are really underepresented on that list.

 

[wick]

Bo Jackson - 4.12 (1986 NFL Combine)


He was overrated as far as actual game performance and stats but not his 40 time. Deion ran a 4.17.

Those are official NFL recognized times not club times or college timings.

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

I'd like to see an official FAT time that has Bo Jackson at 4.12. I'll all but guarantee that did not happen.

 

[Temo]

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.

Timing standards vary from track to Football. Until 1990, I think all combine times were hand-timed start to finish. Starting with 1990, combine times are started by hand when the starter sees the body of the athlete move, then stopped electronically. Track clocks automatically start with the gun and end electronically.

Therefore, while track people have slower times due to reaction time to the gun, football people have faster times due to the starter's reaction time to seeing the body move.

Adam already removed Bolt's reaction time, though it's tough to say how much more to subtract for human-timer reaction. At least 0.10, for sure. Maybe more.

 

[jobberone]

I dunno 'bout that -- Walker had that stiff legged style of running, I can't imagine that would be conducive to being that fast. But as I said before, the physics behind running fast are weird, so who knows?

I saw them both play when they were in college in person and of course on TV. Hard to say who was the fastest but Walker had sprint speed as did Bo. Neither one was going to get caught much.

 

[Clove]

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.

Shouldn't you be somewhere building an aircraft that can take us to pluto instead of wasting your brain on a cowboys board?

 

[Dallas4ever]

Bob hayes was amazing in the video clip of him anchoring that win in the olympics that year. He looked like a man running away from boys.

 

[zack]

They should make a top 10 fastest offensive lineman of all time. Larry Allen would have to be on that list at 4.6 40. (Thats what I ran in high school!) I remember him running down that linebacker from behind after an interception.

Not too sure about Darrell Green being faster than Deion, IMO. That is not to say that he doesn't belong in the top five, because the guy will still run a 4.5 second 40 when he is 50 years old!

 

[TNCowboy]

Bob hayes was amazing in the video clip of him anchoring that win in the olympics that year. He looked like a man running away from boys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh-YLy_wnrc

 

[JRid21]

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.

It is absolutely ridiculous for people to say Bo Jackson was overated. He backed up Marcus Allen and only played four seasons due to his hip injury. Jackson rushed for 554 yards on 81 carries in just seven games in the 1987 season. Bo also turned in a 221-yard rushing performance on Monday Night football against the Seahawks. I believe that's the game where Don Meredith sang Turn out the lights, the party's over after Bo broke off a 91 yard run. There's not a doubt in my mind had he not been injured Bo would be considered one of the best backs ever.

 

[Teague31]

I searched this forum and didn't find this. I saw it last Friday I believe.

Two Cowboys make the list, #1 is a Cowboy and I think it's obvious who it is.

Top 10 All-Time Fastest Players in the NFL

alexander wright??

 

[JonJon]

Obviously, you've never played Tecmo Bowl! :laugh2:

No kidding...Bo Jackson was insane. He had the ability to run circles around entire teams and toss would-be tacklers 10 yards in the air with his legs. Checkout actual game footage....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PBvOxicz-0

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.

So what do you predict his record time would have been had he not let up the last 20 meters?

Freak enough to be leading Bolt at 40 meters? I just don't know about that Hostile... I respect Bo and all, but he is a large man and getting that mass to move faster than Bolt (who is kind of a slow starter, I know, although he had like the fifth fastest start in the finals, not exactly slow) across 40 meters is pushing it a bit. JMO.

Actually, most top sprinters do not reach their full speed until after the first 40 yards and often find themselves behind someone else. Once they reach that top gear however, you can close the curtains.

I ran track in high school and went up against the state champion. The guy ran a 10.3 and my top speed was a 10.9. Well, for the first 30 meters, I had him. After that...well....turned into one of the most humbling experiences in my life. Dude just glided past me in the next 40 meters like I was just standing still. So the point is, you can beat someone faster than you out the gates, but that doesn't make you faster overall.

 

[DallasFanSince86]

That list is a pretty good one, IMO.

No kidding...Bo Jackson was insane. He had the ability to run circles around entire teams and toss would-be tacklers 10 yards in the air with his legs. Checkout actual game footage....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PBvOxicz-0

That was pretty good.

 

[Nors]

I think Bolt left .07 on the table last 10 yards - maybe .03 8o-90

Would have run in 9.55-9.58 range had he gone all out.