randy moss 40 time and overall ability has ranked him as one of the top three wide receivers in nfl history. he had it all: blistering speed, precise and elite running, sticky hands, and a personality that can’t be compared to anyone else. he was a defensive back’s worst nightmare.
moss’s incredible skill earned him the nickname “the weirdo,” which is fitting if you’ve ever seen him play. he was a man among boys and it didn’t take long for him to mark his territory in the nfl. He recorded at least 1,200 receiving yards in each of his first six NFL seasons.
Reading: Randy moss 40 yard dash time
He would go on to record 1000+ yards in ten of his 14 seasons, 10+ touchdowns in nine of his 14 seasons, 100+ receptions in two of his 14 seasons, and set an NFL record with 23 receiving touchdowns in 2007 He also had 17 touchdowns in 1998 (rookie season) and again in 2003.
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what was the hour of randy moss 40?
Anyone who has ever watched Randy Moss in action understands that he’s faster than most players he lines up against. With that said, it’s no surprise that he holds one of the fastest 40 times in NFL Combine history. Of course, that begs the question, what is Randy Moss’ 40 time?
Randy Moss’ 40th time at the 1998 NFL combine was hand-timed at 4.25 seconds. We’ll never know how accurate that time is, though, especially since the NFL didn’t start laser-timing the 40-yard dash until 1999, the year after Randy Moss showed off his breakneck speed.
However, randy moss’s 40th time on his marshall college pro day was 4.38 seconds, which is slower, but faster. Whether it’s 4.25 or 4.38, we’re going to detail 20 NFL players who posted numbers similar to Randy Moss’ 40, some of which might surprise you.
20. wishing jackson
40-yard dash: 4.35 seconds
years active: 2008-present (14 seasons)
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
career stats: 174 games, 631 receptions, 11,105 receiving yards, 66 total touchdowns
wish jackson ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the 2008 nfl combine, ranking ninth among prospects that year. He was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles and spent the next six seasons with the team, recording 32 touchdowns in that span.
although jackson has never finished a season with double-digit touchdowns, he had nine touchdowns twice. he also had five seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, which is impressive considering he never had more than 82 receptions in a season.
19. miguel vick
40-yard dash: 4.33 seconds
years active: 2001-2015 (13 seasons)
Teams: atlanta falcons, philadelphia eagles, new york jets, pittsburgh steelers
Career stats: 143 games, 61-51-1 record, 22,464 receiving yards, 6,109 rushing yards, 169 total touchdowns
michael vick ran a 4.33 second 40-yard dash at the 2001 nfl combine, which was the second fastest time among prospects that year . he was the no. 1 overall draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons and revolutionized the way we view the quarterback position for the next six seasons.
After spending two years in prison for dogfighting, he returned to the NFL and spent five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. he reinvented himself and posted even more impressive numbers than before. he is definitely one of the fastest quarterbacks in history.
18. darrius heyward-bey
40-yard dash: 4.30 seconds
active years: 2009-2018 (10 seasons)
teams: oakland raiders, pittsburgh steelers, indianapolis colts
career stats: 144 games, 202 receptions, 2,897 yards, 16 touchdowns
darrius heyward-bey ran a 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the 2009 nfl combine, which was tied for the fastest time among prospects that year. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the seventh overall pick, a pick that, unfortunately, never materialized on the football field.
He spent four seasons with Oakland and only recorded 140 receptions, 2,071 yards and 11 touchdowns in that span, which is not what you’d expect from a seventh overall pick. His decline continued with the Colts in 2013 and for the next four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
17. darrentwilliams
40-yard dash: 4.30 seconds
years active: 2005-2006 (2 seasons)
teams: denver broncos
career stats: 27 games, 140 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions, 19 passes defensed, 2 defensive touchdowns
darrent williams ran a 4.30 second 40-yard dash at the 2005 nfl combine, which was the fourth fastest time recorded among prospects that year . He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round and made an immediate impact, starting nine games in his rookie season.
During his first two seasons, Williams recorded six interceptions, 19 passes defensed and two defensive touchdowns. He was on his way to becoming a household name in the NFL, but his career was cut short after he was shot to death with bullets intended for someone else.
16. tyreek hill
40-yard dash: 4.29 seconds
active years: 2016-present (6 seasons)
Teams:Kansas City Chiefs
career stats: 89 games, 472 receptions, 6588 receiving yards, 717 rushing yards, 67 total touchdowns
tyreek hill ran a 4.29 second 40-yard dash on his 2016 west alabama pro day. while that’s an impressive moment, it doesn’t even begin to Explain the speed Hill has with the pads on, which makes him one of the fastest players in the NFL, if not the fastest. he was selected by the chiefs in the fifth round.
made an immediate impact, recording 61 receptions, 593 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season. Since then, he has recorded at least 1,183 yards in four of the past five years, including two seasons (soon to be three) with 10-plus touchdowns (12 in 2018 and 15 in 2020).
15. jj nelson
40-yard dash: 4.28 seconds
active years: 2015-2019 (5 seasons)
Teams: Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders
career stats: 58 games, 85 receptions, 1475 yards, 11 touchdowns
jj nelson ran a 4.28 second 40-yard dash at the 2015 nfl combine, which was the fastest time that year. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round and spent his first four seasons with them. he had 11 receptions, 292 yards and 2 touchdowns in his rookie season.
In 2016 and 2017, it seemed like Nelson was turning the corner. he combined for 63 receptions, 1,076 yards and 8 touchdowns in those two seasons, but saw a massive drop in production the following season. He spent 2019 with the Oakland Raiders, but hasn’t played in the NFL since.
14. jacob ford
40-yard dash: 4.28 seconds
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years active: 2010-2013 (3 seasons)
teams: oakland raiders
career stats: 38 games, 57 receptions, 848 yards, 3 touchdowns
jacoby ford ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the 2010 nfl combine, which was the fastest time among prospects that year. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders, who are known for drafting fast receivers, in the fourth round. unfortunately, that speed didn’t amount to much.
As a rookie, Ford recorded 25 catches for 470 yards and 2 touchdowns. that production decreased slightly the following season before missing the entire 2012 season due to injury. he returned in 2013 and saw another drop in production. he hasn’t played in the nfl since.
13. bailey champion
40-yard dash: 4.28 seconds
years active: 1999-2013 (15 seasons)
Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos
career stats: 215 games, 931 tackles, 42 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, 52 interceptions, 203 passes defensed, 4 defensive touchdowns
champion bailey ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the 1999 nfl combine, which was second-fastest among prospects that year. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins with the seventh overall pick in the draft and went on to have a 15-year Hall of Fame career.
bailey recorded 18 interceptions in his first five nfl seasons, all with washington. he then spent the next 10 years of his career in denver, where he recorded another 34 interceptions. he had 4 career defensive touchdowns from him and 203 passes defensed.
12. stanford route
40-yard dash: 4.27 seconds
years active: 2005-2012 (8 seasons)
teams: oakland raiders, kansas city chiefs, houston texans
career stats: 119 games, 265 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 12 interceptions, 55 passes defensed, 1 defensive touchdown
stanford routt ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2005 nfl combine, which was the fastest time among prospects in that year. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders (surprise, surprise) in the second round. He only started four games in his first two NFL seasons.
He had a breakout year in 2007, starting 14 games and finishing with 3 interceptions. Although he only started 5 games over the next two seasons, he was a regular starter in 2010 and 2011, recording 6 interceptions in that span. Unfortunately, he was out of the NFL in 2013.
11. marchioness goodwin
40-yard dash: 4.27 seconds
active years: 2013-present (9 seasons)
teams: buffalo bills, san francisco 49ers, chicago bears
career stats: 87 games, 158 receptions, 2,623 yards, 14 touchdowns
marquise goodwin ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2013 nfl combine, which was the fastest time among prospects in that year, by an impressive 0.07 seconds. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
After four decent years at Buffalo, Goodwin had a career year with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, finishing with 56 receptions, 962 yards and 2 touchdowns. The production tanked in his last two years with the 49ers and he currently plays for the Chicago Bears in a limited role.
10. Henry Ruggs III
40-yard dash: 4.27 seconds
active years: 2020-2021 (2 seasons)
teams: las vegas raiders
career stats: 20 games, 50 receptions, 921 yards, 4 touchdowns
henry ruggs iii ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2020 nfl combine, which was the fastest among prospects that year. He was selected by the, you guessed it, Las Vegas Raiders with the 12th overall pick. they had high hopes for the catcher, but it fizzled out quickly.
ruggs iii recorded 26 receptions, 452 yards and 2 touchdowns in his rookie season. he made a big jump in the 2021 season and already had 26 receptions, 469 yards and 2 touchdowns in seven games. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to a dui accident that killed one person.
9. anthony schwartz
40-yard dash: 4.27 seconds
active years: 2021-present (1 season)
teams: cleveland browns
career stats: 12 games, 9 receptions, 122 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 17 rushing yards
anthony schwartz ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2021 combine, which was the fastest among all prospects that year. the cleveland cavaliers ended up drafting him in the third round and are excited about his potential in this league, although he still has a long way to go.
opened his rookie season with 3 receptions for 69 yards and a rush for 17 yards in his first nfl game. he went catchless in the next four games, but had 5 catches for 48 yards in the next four games. he caught his first touchdown in the nfl (for 5 yards) on christmas day.
8. deion sanders
40-yard dash: 4.27 seconds
years active: 1989-2005 (14 seasons)
teams: dallas cowboys, atlanta falcons, baltimore ravens, san francisco 49ers, washington redskins
career stats: 188 games, 512 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries, 53 interceptions, 10 defensive touchdowns, 9 return touchdowns, 3 receiving touchdowns
deion sanders ran a 4.27 second 40-yard dash at the 1989 nfl combine, but it also depends on who you ask. some records say he ran it in 4.29 seconds, while other records say he ran it in 4.21 seconds. either way, his speed was obvious and he showed off that speed with style.
Sanders was the fifth overall draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons and became one of the greatest players in NFL history. he did it all: he was a lockdown corner, a great returner, an emergency catcher and even played in mlb. there’s a reason they call it primetime.
7. like taylor
40-yard dash: 4.26 seconds
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years active: 2003-2014 (12 seasons)
teams: pittsburgh steelers
career stats: 174 games, 636 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 14 interceptions, 134 passes defensed, 1 defensive touchdown
ike taylor was not invited to the 2003 nfl combine, but ran a 4.26 second 40-yard dash on his professional day out of louisiana university lafayette, although some people had it clocked at 4.18 seconds. if he had been invited to the combine that year, he would have been the fastest player there.
Taylor was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round and spent his entire 12-year career with the team. He recorded at least one interception each year from 2004 to 2012, and was a regular starter from 2005 to 2013. To this day, he is grossly underrated.
6. jeronimo mathis
40-yard dash: 4.26 seconds
years active: 2005-2007 (3 seasons)
teams: houston texans
career stats: 12 punt returns, 68 punt return yards, 72 punt returns, 2054 punt return yards, 3 punt return touchdowns
jerome mathis ran a 40-yard dash in 4.26 seconds at the 2005 nfl combine, although some people put it at 4.28. either way, that’s very impressive and not that far off from randy moss’s 40 time. Mathis was selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the draft.
Despite being one of the fastest prospects at the time, Mathis’ speed never translated to the football field and he only lasted three years in the league. he had an impressive rookie year as a kick returner, finishing the year with 54 returns, 1,542 return yards and 2 return touchdowns.
5. chris johnson
40-yard dash: 4.24 seconds
years active: 2008-2017 (10 seasons)
teams: tennessee titans, arizona cardinals, new york jets
Career stats: 130 games, 9,651 rushing yards, 307 receptions, 2,255 receiving yards, 58 total touchdowns
chris johnson ran a 4.24 second 40-yard dash at the 2008 nfl combine which was the fastest of any prospect that year and also Fastest official time in combined NFL history (at the time). That record stood until John Ross, who we’ll talk about later, broke it with a time of 4:22 40.
johnson was drafted 24th overall by the tennessee titans in 2008 and spent the first six years of his career with the team. He had 1,000 rushing yards in each of those six seasons, including 2,006 rushing yards during the 2009 season. He also had 58 touchdowns in that span with the Titans.
4. donte stallworth
40-yard dash: 4.22 seconds
years active: 2002-2012 (10 seasons)
teams: new orleans saints, washington redskins, new england patriots, baltimore ravens, cleveland browns, philadelphia eagles
career stats: 115 games, 321 receptions, 4,837 yards, 35 touchdowns
donte stallworth ran an unofficial 4.22 second 40 yard dash at the 2002 nfl combine. not sure why it’s considered an unofficial time official or why it is not the current combined record. In fact, most people don’t mention his 4.22 second time, but they do mention John Ross’ 4.22 second run.
However, Stallworth was drafted by the New Orleans Saints with the 12th overall pick in 2002. He had four productive years with the Saints, but his production began to decline once he left the team in 2006. He played for five equipment. for the next six seasons before retiring.
3. John Ross III
40-yard dash: 4.22 seconds
active years: 2017-present (5 seasons)
teams: cincinnati bengals, new york giants
career stats: 37 games, 62 receptions, 957 yards, 11 touchdowns
john ross iii ran a 4.22-second 40-yard dash at the 2017 nfl combine, matching stallworth’s time and breaking chris johnsons’ nine-year record. Ross was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the ninth overall pick, largely due to his speed more than anything else.
ross iii only played three games in his rookie season due to injury. he played in 21 games over the next two seasons, combining for 49 receptions, 716 yards and 10 touchdowns. in the two seasons since then, he had just 13 receptions for 241 yards and a touchdown.
2. joey galloway
40-yard dash: 4.18 seconds
years active: 1995-2010 (16 seasons)
teams: seattle seahawks, new england patriots, tampa bay buccaneers, dallas cowboys, washington redskins
career stats: 198 games, 701 receptions, 10,950 yards, 77 touchdowns
joey galloway ran an unofficial (not recognized by the nfl) 40 yard dash in 1995. that would make him faster than randy moss, if I’m basing it on his 40 times. Galloway was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the eighth overall pick in the 1995 draft.
galloway averaged more than 1,000 yards per season during his first four years in the league and scored 36 touchdowns in that span. After two years of inactivity due to injury, production picked up in 2001 and he racked up 1,000 yards three times between 2005 and 2007. He retired in 2011.
1. darrell green
40-yard dash: 4.09 seconds
years active: 1983-2002 (20 seasons)
teams: washington redskins
career stats: 295 games, 1202 tackles, 1 sack, 5 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, 54 interceptions, 8 defensive touchdowns
since we’re mentioning joey galloway’s unofficial time of 4:18, we can also mention darrell’s impressive (and alleged) 4.09 second 40-yard dash >green at redskins training camp in 1986. although not recognized by the nfl, he was much faster than moss.
green was drafted by the reskins with the 28th pick in 1983, three years before turning 40. he played in three different decades during his 20-year career. he recorded at least one interception in each of his first 19 seasons, failing to do so on his farewell tour in 2002.
other players who built with speed
Over the years, many players have proven their speed on their pro day, the nfl combine, training camp, or in their own time. Of course, the only 40-yard dash times the NFL recognizes are those that occurred at the NFL combine, and for good reason.
In addition to the previous 20 people who came close to or exceeded Randy Moss’ 40 times, there are several other players who impressed with their speed at the NFL combine. for example, rondel menendez clocked 4.24 seconds and dri archer ran 4.26 seconds in 40.
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Other players who finished between 4:27 and 4:30 include jalen myrick, demarcus van dyke, fabian washington, zedrick woods, javelin guidry, tye hill, yamon figures and jamal dean. only time will tell if we see someone beat randy moss’s 40 time like some of the above.
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