NFL fans love themselves some 40-yard dash times, but do the Patriots?
The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine made headlines Thursday night when a whopping eight receivers posted times under 4.4 seconds. Baylor wideout Tyquan Thornton generated the most buzz, initially breaking the combine record before settling for an official time of 4.28 seconds, tying him with six others for ninth-best in history.
So, that got us thinking: How often do the Patriots draft offensive skill-position players with sparkling 40-yard times?
If you’ve watched New England over the years, you know straight-line speed isn’t exactly a top priority. As they should, the Patriots view 40-yard times as pieces of prospect mosaics — with the possible exception of tight ends.
During the Bill Belichick era, the Patriots have drafted a combined 43 receivers, running backs and tight ends. Only 21 of those players had 40-yard times that ranked among the top 10 at their respective positions during their respective combine years, with 10 ranking in the top five. Tight ends account for 11 of the 21 players with top 10 times, and seven of the 10 players with top-five times. So, the Patriots do love fast tight ends. However, that notion probably deserves an asterisk, as typically there are more receivers and running backs than tight ends at the combine.
Let’s look at each player, along with where their 40-yard time ranked among others at their position (all stats via Pro-Football-Reference).
(Note: We’ve included pro-day times for all purposes, even though some could argue pro-day environments occasionally lead to generous 40-yard times.)
RECEIVERS
Deion Branch — 2002 (11th)
David Givens — 2002 (28th)
Bethel Johnson — 2003 (second)
P.K. Sam — 2004 (23rd)
Chad Jackson — 2006 (first)
Matthew Slater — 2008 (not invited to combine; 4.44 pro-day time would’ve tied for 12th)
Brandon Tate — 2009 (35th)
Julian Edelman — 2009 (not invited; 4.52 pro-day time would’ve tied for 35th)
Taylor Price — 2010 (eighth)
Jeremy Ebert — 2012 (not invited; 4.38 pro-day time would’ve been 11th)
Aaron Dobson — 2013 (fourth)
Josh Boyce — 2013 (sixth)
Jeremy Gallon — 2014 (21st)
Malcolm Mitchell — 2016 (eighth)
Devin Lucien — (not invited; 4.49 pro-day time would’ve been 14th)
Braxton Berrios — 2018 (didn’t run; 4.44 pro-day time would’ve been 10th)
N’Keal Harry — 2019 (23rd)
Tre Nixon — 2021 (16th)
RUNNING BACKS
J.R. Redmond — 2000 (sixth)
Antwoine Womack — 2002 (didn’t run due to torn ACL)
Cedrick Cobbs — 2004 (21st)
Lawrence Maroney — 2006 (ninth)
Justise Hairston — 2007 (not invited; 44.7 pro-day time would’ve tied for eighth)
Stevan Ridley — 2011 (30th)
Shane Vereen — 2011 (12th)
James White — 2014 (17th)
Sony Michel — 2018 (10th)
Damien Harris — 2019 (12th)
Rhamondre Stevenson — 2021 (31st)
TIGHT ENDS
Dave Stachelski — 2000 (seventh)
Jabari Holloway — 2001 (12th)
Arther Love — 2001 (fifth)
Daniel Graham — 2002 (fourth)
Ben Watson — 2004 (first)
Andy Stokes — 2005 (not invited; 4.73 pro-day time would’ve been fifth)
David Thomas — 2006 (sixth)
Rob Gronkowski — 2010 (eighth)
Aaron Hernandez — 2010 (fourth)
Lee Smith — 2011 (14th)
A.J. Derby — 2015 (third)
Ryan Izzo — 2018 (13th)
Dalton Keene — 2020 (fifth)
Devin Asiasi — 2020 (eighth)
First of all, there are some names in there. Second of all, the list offers further evidence that great 40-yard times don’t necessarily translate to productive NFL careers.
Here are the top 40-yard dash times in combine history:
1. John Ross III, WR — 2017 (4.22)
2. Chris Johnson, RB — 2008 (4.24)
2. Rondel Menendez, WR — 1999 (4.24)
4. Dri Archer, RB — 2014 (4.26)
4. Jerome Mathis, WR — 2005 (4.26)
6. Marquise Goodwin, WR — 2013 (4.27)
6. Stanford Routt, CB — 2005 (4.27)
6. Henry Ruggs III, WR — 2020 (4.27)
9. Champ Bailey, CB — 1999 (4.28)
9. Jacoby Ford, WR — 2010 (4.28)
9. Jalen Myrick, CB — 2017 (4.28)
9. J.J. Nelson, WR — 2015 (4.28)
9. Tyquan Thornton, WR — 2022 (4.28)
9. Demarcus Van Dyke, DB — 2011 (4.28)
Here are some additional Patriots related 40-yard nuggets:
— Chad Jackson (4.32 in 2006) has the fastest 40-yard time of any Patriots player drafted in the Belichick era. He tied for the second-fastest time at the 2006 combine. Of course, the Florida product turned out to be a major bust.
— Antwan Harris, a corner out of Virginia whom the Patriots selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, tied for first at his combine with a 4.34. He’s the only Belichick-drafted Patriot to top the 40-yard board at a combine.
— Bethel Johnson (4.38 in 2003) and Aaron Dobson (4.37 in 2013) are the only other Belichick-drafted Patriots to rank in the top 10 at a combine.
— Devin McCourty posted a 4.38 in 2010, good for 12th overall and fourth among all corners (would’ve ranked second among safeties).
— Belichick historically has drafted defensive backs with fast 40-yard times. Just pointing that out.
So, what’s this all mean? Like the 40-yard dash itself: not much. At the end of the day, the Patriots occasionally take fliers on speedy prospects but generally prioritize drafting smart, good football players. Perhaps Belichick’s draft shortcomings over the past decade suggest he should take more chances on raw, uber-athletic players, but 40-yard times alone aren’t necessarily indicative of football-relevant athleticism.
That said, given New England’s activity at this year’s combine, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Patriots next month draft a player who necessitates an update to this story.
