Move over John Ross, there’s a new king of speed when it comes to 40-yard dash times at the NFL combine.
Texas Longhorns WR Xavier Worthy set a new combine record with a 4.21 forty yard dash on Saturday, narrowly edging out Ross’ time of 4.22 set back in 2017. With only the offensive linemen still to go, it’s safe to say that Worthy’s record will be the new benchmark for NFL hopefuls moving forward.
“I just broke the record. It still doesn’t feel real,” Worthy said. “Man, just a blessing to be able to do this in front of all these fans, with all these peers I’m with.”
Worthy started 39 games for the Longhorns during his three seasons with the team, piling up highlight reel moments on offence and special teams alike. With 1,014 yards off 75 receptions, the Fresno, CA native was an integral part of the Texas offence as the school punched their ticket to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2023.
Pre-draft grades on the speedy wideout vary, with some projecting him as a second round selection, while others can see him taken in the back end of the 1st this spring. However, those mocks may need to be updated given Worthy’s record setting performance Saturday.
The 20 year old reached 24.21mph at his peak according to NextGen stats. For reference, renowned speedsters DeSean Jackson and Tyreek Hill ran a 4.35 and 4.29 at their respective pro days.
Rounding out the top 5 in the 40 were CB Nate Wiggins out of Clemson (4.28), Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell (4.33), LSU wideout Brian Thomas Jr. (4.33), and Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo (4.33).
The 2024 NFL Draft is set to kick off on April 25th in Detroit.
Photo: Swimfinfan. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.