Jadeveon Clowney runs 4.53 40-yard dash at 2014 NFL combine

'I want to be one of the greatest of all time," Jadeveon Clowney said. "And the NFL is the next stepping stone.' (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Jadeveon Clowney guaranteed that he would run a 4.4-second 40 time in Indianapolis. He fell short of that figure, but it was still pretty impressive.

The South Carolina defensive end logged a 4.53 in his first attempt Monday morning at the scouting combine, faster than Johnny Manziel and a time that would have made him the 14th-fastest running back at the combine. Kent State running back Dri Archer has logged the fastest 40 time at the combine thus far with a 4.26, shy of Chris Johnson's combine record of 4.24.

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Clowney has been a man on a mission in Indy, a mission not to just be the No. 1 overall pick, but one of the all-time NFL greats. “I want to be the best,” Clowney said Saturday. “I want to be one of the greatest of all time, and the NFL is the next stepping stone."

Here's video of Clowney's first and fastest run:

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