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The Fastest 40-Yard Dash Times at the 2026 NFL Combine

Which players ran the fastest 40-yard dash at this year’s combine?
Eva Geitheim|
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles showed out at the combine on Thursday.
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles showed out at the combine on Thursday. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The most anticipated event of the so-called “Underwear Olympics” began on Thursday—the 40-yard dash.

Each year, a number of the top NFL draft prospects work out at the NFL combine, partaking in the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle. No event, however, garners more attention than the 40-yard dash.

More: NFL Combine Risers and Fallers: Sonny Styles Steals the Show

Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy holds the all-time 40-yard dash record, having finished the sprint in 4.21 seconds back in 2024. The fastest players can run the 40 in under 4.30 seconds, but any player that runs it in under 4.50 seconds is a speedster.

Here’s a look at the fastest runs from each day of the 2026 NFL combine.

Day 1: Defensive linemen and linebackers

Rank

Name

School

40-yard dash time (seconds)

T-1.

Arvell Reese

Ohio State

4.46

T-1.

Sonny Styles

Ohio State

4.46

3.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr

TCU

4.47

4.

David Bailey

Texas Tech

4.50

5.

Anthony Hill Jr.

Texas

4.51

6.

Malachi Lawrence

UCF

4.52

T-7.

Kyle Louis

Pitt

4.53

T-7.

Namdi Obiazor

TCU

4.53

9.

Trey Moore

Texas

4.54

10.

Karson Sharar

Iowa

4.56

Defensive linemen and linebackers worked out at the combine on Thursday. Ohio State linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese led the event as they finished with a 4.46-second 40. Overall, Styles dominated the combine, recording the fastest 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical jump and broad jump.

Among defensive tackles, Penn State’s Zaven Durant finished first in the 40-yard dash with an impressive time of 4.75 seconds.

Day 2: Defensive backs and tight ends

Rank

Name

School

40-yard dash time (seconds)

1.

Lorenzo Styles Jr.

Ohio State

4.27

T-2.

Toriano Pride Jr.

Missouri

4.32

T-2.

Robert Spears-Jennings

Oklahoma

4.32

4.

Treydan Stukes

Arizona

4.33

5.

Dillon Thieneman

Oregon

4.35

6.

Daylen Everette

Georgia

4.38

7.

Kenyon Sadiq

Oregon

4.39

T-8.

Chris Johnson

San Diego State

4.40

T-8.

Jalon Kilgore

South Carolina

4.40

T-8.

VJ Payne

Kansas State

4.40

T-8.

Chandler Rivers

Duke

4.40

The Styles family’s domination of the combine continued on Friday as Lorenzo Styles Jr. ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, the fastest so far at the combine. Styles was the fastest of a tremendous group of safeties that also included Robert Spears-Jennings and Dillon Thieneman.

Missouri’s Toriano Pride Jr. was the fastest corner at the combine with a 4.32-second 40 time. Perhaps none was more impressive though than tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds.

Day 3: Running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks

Rank

Name

School

40-yard dash time (seconds)

1.

Brenen Thompson

Mississippi State

4.26

2.

Zavion Thomas

LSU

4.28

3.

Deion Burks

Oklahoma

4.30

4.

Jeff Caldwell

Cincinnati

4.31

5.

Mike Washington Jr.

Arkansas

4.33

6.

Bryce Lance

North Dakota State

4.34

T-7.

Zachariah Branch

Georgia

4.35

T-7.

Eric Rivers

Georgia Tech

4.35

T-9.

Taylen Green

Arkansas

4.36

T-9.

Jeremiyah Love

Notre Dame

4.36

T-9.

De’Zhaun Stribling

Ole Miss

4.36

Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson recorded the fastest 40-yard dash at the combine, running the sprint in a breezy 4.26 seconds. He and LSU wideout Zavion Thomas were the only players to run the 40 in under 4.30 seconds on Saturday.

Arkansas’s Mike Washington Jr. ran the fastest 40 among running backs, completing it in 4.33 seconds. The run meant a lot to Washington, who broke into tears afterwards. The Razorbacks also featured the fastest quarterback at the combine as Taylen Green ran an incredible 4.36-second 40-yard dash.

"I look at where we are with Dak and I look at where he is in his career. And I look at some of the pluses that we have on our front and what we think we can do there. And what we can do with [George] Pickens and Lamb and what we can do with our running back that we just signed [Javonte Williams]," Jones said. "And so all of those things I want to do everything we possibly can to stop somebody and to basically win some third downs more than we did last year. And so I think that would be the area that you would see me bust the budget. Where you would see me do that is what we're doing defensively.

"And I would expect anybody that's a Cowboy fan or a critic of the Cowboys to say, 'Duh, that's not hard to see, Jerry, to do.' But I guess what I'm doing is saying, yes, I intend to do that if given the opportunity."

Day 4: Offensive linemen

Rank

Name

School

40-yard dash time (seconds)

1.

Logan Jones

Iowa

4.90

T-2.

Spencer Fano

Utah

4.91

T-2.

Max Iheanachor

Arizona State

4.91

T-4.

Jalen Farmer

Kentucky

4.93

T-4.

Monroe Freeling

Georgia

4.93

T-6.

Jager Burton

Kentucky

4.94

T-6.

Enrique Cruz

Houston

4.94

8.

Parker Brailsford

Alabama

4.95

9.

Caleb Lomu

Utah

4.99

T-10.

DJ Campbell

Texas

5.01

T-10.

Aamil Wagner

Notre Dame

5.01

Iowa center Logan Jones was the fastest offensive lineman at the combine, running the 40 in 4.90 seconds. He was one of nine offensive linemen to run the 40 in under five seconds this year.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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