East Carolina’s Chris Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2008, tying the mark set by Eastern Kentucky’s Rondel Menendez in 1999.
The combine was just starting to become a made-for-TV event when Johnson ran his scalding 40, and it has remained one since. The fact that Johnson went on to become a first-round pick and only the NFL’s sixth-ever 2,000-yard rusher helped add credibility to the 40 and to the combine workouts as a whole as both entertainment and a football-worthy metric.
Amazingly, just three men since then have bested Johnson’s and Menendez’s shared time: Baylor’s Kalon Barnes (4.23 in 2022), Washington WR John Ross (4.22 in 2017) and Texas’ Xavier Worthy (4.21 in 2024).
Worthy’s record-breaking time from two years ago was one of the all-time combine moments, and it’s the new benchmark for this year’s runners after no one broke the 4.28-second mark at the 2025 event. Could it fall this year? It will be tough.
The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine prospect list is 319 names long, but it remains to be seen if anyone can seriously threaten Worthy. If someone does, there’s a good chance they played wide receiver in college, probably for an SEC school. You can find speed merchants at multiple positions, including running back, cornerback and even safety, but wideout appears to be where the real gasoline is this year.
Here are 21 players with at least an outside shot to win the 40-yard dash throne in Indianapolis, roughly listed from most to least likely, although only a small handful at the top appear capable of challenging Worthy’s mark.
