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Speed to Burn at Receiver for Bears

Combine takes away Tyquan Thornton's record and Chris Olave's time but a total of eight receivers still ran 40-yard times below 4.4 seconds Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The NFL altered a few extremely fast times run at Thursday's NFL scouting combine, including what looked like a record 40-yard dash by Tyquan Thornton. 

It still couldn't wipe out the fact it was an extremely fast group of wide receivers and this can only bode well for the Bears going into the draft, considering they have only one proven wide receiver under contract.

Baylor's Thornton ran what was reported as a 4.21-second 40, breaking the record of 4.22 by John Ross set in 2017. However, after the night's combine workouts ended it was reported by the NFL and ESPN's Adam Schefter that some of the unofficial times had been wrong.

Thornton actually ran a 4.28, while Ohio State's Chris Olave went from what was said to be 4.26 to 4.39. Olave's time was the eighth time under 4.4. Initially, the times reported had 12 receivers below 4.4, but the NFL said eight times from receivers under 4.4 has never been achieved in the past.

Buckeyes teammate Garrett Wilson (4.37) has generally been rated slightly better by many draft analysts than Olave and just clipped his teammate after the official teams came out. NFL Draft Bible had Wilson rated the third-best receiver in the draft and Olave fourth-best.

Thornton is 6-foot-2, 182 pounds and caught 143 passes for 2,242 yards with 19 touchdowns at Baylor. He averaged 15.3 per catch or more in three seasons.

Thornton has been ranked the 26th best outside receiver by NFL Draft Bible in this draft.

Running a fast time doesn't necessarily guarantee a receiver succeeds in the NFL. Ross is a perfect example as he has played five seasons and has 62 receptions and 11 touchdowns despite the 4.22-second time.

A few other developments could have bigger impacts on Bears chances for a wide receiver.

On Wednesday, North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson had said the Bears talked to him twice already. His lack of experience in a strong college passing offense seemed a negative but Thursday's workouts may have done a great deal to allay such concerns.

Watson, at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, turned in the seventh-best 40 time at 4.36 seconds. 

Watson's overall athleticism was apparent in all ways.

Watson's hands measured 10-1/8 inches and his arms 32 1/2 inches. He did a 38.5-inch vertical leap and a 136-inch broad jump.

The vertical was sixth among wide receivers and the broad jump (11 feet, 4 inches) was best among receivers. Cincinnati's Alec Pierce, who ran a 4.31-second 40, had the top vertical at 40.5 inches.

Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati ran a 4.49-second 40 for the best time among quarterbacks. That was .05 off the time run by Fields last year in his pro day. No combine was held lsat year due to the pandemic.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell has been projected as a possible Bears pick in many mock drafts and he went through a disappointing day with a time of 4.65. Only Dontario Drummond of Mississippi (4.65) and Alabama's Slade Bolden (4.66) ran slower than Bell among receivers. 

Most times tend to be even faster at pro days, which will start after the combine.  

The offensive linemen are scheduled to work out on Friday at the combine. On Thursday, Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum told reporters he would not work out because of an injury suffered at his team's bowl game. 

The Bears were among a group of seven teams he said he had talked with at the combine.

Top 15 Receiver Times

Official Times Corrected by NFL

1. Tyquan Thornton, Baylor 4.28 seconds

2.  Velus Jones, Tennessee 4.31

3. Calvin Austin II, Memphis 4.32

4. Danny Gray, SMU 4.33

5. Bo Melton, Rutgers 4.34 

6. Christian Watson, North Dakota State 4.36

7. Garrett Wilson, Ohio State 4.38

8. Chris Olave, Ohio State 4.39

9. Alec Pierce, Cincinnati 4.41

10. Skyy Moore, Western Michigan 4.41

11. Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa 4.42

12. Jahan Dotson, Penn State 4.43

13. Khalil Shakir, Boise State 4.43

14. Kevin Austin Jr., Notre Dame 4.43

15. Wan'Dale Robinson, Kentucky 4.44

Top 10 Receiver Vertical Leaps

1. Alec Pierce, Cincinnati 40- 1/2 inches

2. Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa 40 inches

3. Calvin Austin III, Memphis  39 inches

3. Ty Fryfogle, Indiana 39 inches

3. Kevin Austin Jr., Notre Dame 39 inches

6. Christian Watson, N. Dakota State 38 1/2 inches

7. Bo Melton, Rutgers 38 inches

7. Jalen Nailor, Michigan State 38 inches

9. Tyquan Thornton, Baylor 36 1/2 inches 

10. Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech 36 1/2 inches.

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