Wide Receivers Ran Rather Fast In 40-Yard Dash At NFL Combine
BOSTON (CBS) -- Thursday night was a fun evening to be an NFL wide receiver prospect.
The receivers hit the field at Lucas Oil Stadium to show off their athleticism, and there was a whole lot of speed on display. While some of the official numbers ended up curbing that excitement a bit, there were still several impressive times posted in the 40-yard dash by the group of young receivers.
At the top of the list was Tyquan Thornton out of Baylor, who ran a 4.28. That's close to the all-time combine record of 4.22, set by John Ross in 2017. (Thornton probably isn't looking for any John Ross comparisons at this critical point of his football career. Alas.) Thornton's unofficial number was 4.21, which would have been the record. As it stands, 4.28 is still swift, as only eight prospects have ever run faster 40s at the combine.
Behind Thornton, there was Tennessee's Velus Jones (4.31), Memphis' Calvin Austin III (4.32), SMU's Danny Gray (4.33), Rutgers' Bo Melton (4.34), North Dakota State's Christian Watson (4.36) and Ohio State's Garrett Wilson (4.38).
Ohio State's Chris Olave, considered one of the top prospects in the draft, had the eighth-fastest 40 time among receivers at 4.39. That's good ... but it's a bit of a far cry from his unofficial time of 4.26. When the 4.26 number went up on the screen, Twitter was buzzing for the for the receiver who caught 163 passes for 2,505 yards and 32 touchdowns over the past three seasons. As it stands, though, the 4.39 number won't hurt his draft stock.
In terms of draft stock getting boosted, Western Michigan's Skyy Moore certainly drew some attention with his 4.41 time in the 40. Moore also tied for the fifth-fastest three-cone time and had the sixth-fastest 20-yard shuttle run time. Moore caught 95 passes for 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, which already put him on a lot of radars. That kind of speed will add to that attention.
Among the other top receiving prospects, Kentucky's Wan'Dale Robinson ran a 4.44 in the 40, while Arkansas' Treylon Burks was notably slower at 4.55. Georgia's George Pickens ran a 4.47. Burks also tied for having the second-slowest three cone time at 7.28. (Four receivers turned in that exact time.)
USC's Drake London didn't run, as he's recovering from his ankle injury. Alabama's Jameson Williams and John Metchie -- who are recovering from torn ACLs -- obviously didn't run, either.
Outside of the speed measurables, receivers got to show off their ability to actually ... receive.
The evaluation from teams obviously extends beyond the combine, but it's nevertheless an instrumental part of the scouting process. When the receivers start to go off the board during this year's draft, we'll look back on this night as one that helped shape the careers of the young players involved.
