Where the Fastest 40-Yard-Dash Prospects Have Been Drafted

The old phrase goes that speed kills. In the NFL, speed is one of the most sought-after traits when it comes to scouting. It stands to reason that the football can be coached and the fleetness of foot cannot.

Since 1999, when the NFL implemented electronic timing at the NFL Scouting Combine, 25 players have registered 40-yard-dash times faster than 4.3 seconds. Some have turned into stars. Some never played a regular season game.

Here are all 25 players to break the 4.3 mark and where they were drafted, sorted by fastest speeds.

4.29 seconds

• Fabian Washington (2005): The Oakland Raiders took cornerbacks with each of their first two picks in the draft that year. Both Washington and Stanford Routt are on this list. Washington played seven seasons with the Raiders, three as a full-time starter, before finishing his career in 2012 with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.

4.28 seconds

• Champ Bailey (1999): The only Hall of Famer on this list, Bailey more than lived up to his collegiate hype. Bailey made 12 Pro Bowls in his 15 seasons, only missing out in his rookie year with Washington, an injury-plagued 2008 season and his final year with the Denver Broncos in 2013.

4.27 seconds

• Marquise Goodwin (2013): Goodwin had a solid 10-year career after being taken by the Buffalo Bills in 2013. He was never a star, but put together a strong 56-catch, 962-yard season after moving to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.

4.26 seconds

• Riq Woolen (2022): Woolen made the Pro Bowl his first season in the league with the Seattle Seahawks. He finished with 63 tackles and six interceptions in 2022 and spent most of the seasons since as a starter, winning a Super Bowl with the franchise in February.

4.24 seconds

• Chris Johnson (2008): Johnson was a star from the moment he took the field with the Tennessee Titans. He earned three Pro Bowls and ran for 1,000 yards or more in each of his first six seasons. His best came in 2009 when he ran for 2,006 yards en route to earning Offensive Player of the Year honors.

4.23 seconds

4.22 seconds

4.21 seconds

• Xavier Worthy (2024): Worthy won a Super Bowl in his first season in the NFL after catching 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns with the Kansas City Chiefs. The numbers took a dip in 2025, his second season, but he remains a part of the Chiefs' plans.