Who Is the Fastest NFL Player?
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Who is the fastest NFL player? This is a question that many fans and pundits have debated for years. There is no clear consensus, but there are a few players who stand out as the speediest in the league. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the fastest NFL players and try to answer the question once and for all.
The Case for Tyreek Hill
In this article, we’ll make the case for Tyreek Hill as the fastest player in the NFL. Hill has been clocked at 22.81 mph, which is the fastest speed ever recorded by a player in the NFL. He’s also incredibly elusive, which makes him a tough player to tackle. We’ll see how all of this makes him the fastest player in the NFL.
Hill’s top speed of 22.81 mph
During a punt return against the Oakland Raiders in 2018, Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill hit a top speed of 22.81 miles per hour, making him the fastest player in the NFL.
Hill’s top speed was clocked by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, which uses GPS tracking to measure player speed. His 22.81-mph speed is the fastest recorded since the NFL began using Next Gen Stats in 2016.
The second-fastest player recorded by Next Gen Stats is Buffalo Bills receiver John Brown, who reached 22.64 mph during a catch last season. Kansas City Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman (22.49 mph), Raiders receiver Jacoby Ford (22.31) and Houston Texans receiver Will Fuller (22.27) round out the top five.
Hill’s top speed was recorded on a 103-yard punt return touchdown against the Raiders in Week 13 last season. He fielded the punt at his own 14-yard line, made one cut and then outran the Raiders’ coverage team to the end zone.
Hill’s production on the field
In just four NFL seasons, Hill has already become one of the most productive receivers in the league. He’s averaged over 70 catches and 1,000 yards per season, and his career catch rate is an impressive 64 percent. He’s also been a big-play machine, with 36 catches of 40-plus yards in his career. That’s the second-most in the NFL since 2016, behind only DeSean Jackson.
And it’s not just the raw numbers that are impressive. Hill is also one of the most efficient receivers in the league. According to Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric, which measures a player’s value per play compared to the league average, Hill has been 14th among all wide receivers over the last three seasons. In other words, he’s been well above average as both a receiver and a returner.
There are few players in the NFL who can match Hill’s combination of production and efficiency. He’s one of the best deep threats in the league, and he’s also shown an ability to make plays in the short and intermediate part of the field. He’s an explosive playmaker with the ball in his hands, and he’s one of the best route runners in the game. In other words, he’s everything you could want in a receiver.
The Case for Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson is considered one of the best running backs of all time. He’s a big, physical runner with a surprising amount of speed and agility for someone his size. In his prime, he was nearly impossible to tackle one-on-one and was a big part of why the Minnesota Vikings were one of the best teams in the NFL. Let’s take a look at why Adrian Peterson is the fastest NFL player.
Peterson’s top speed of 21.79 mph
Adrian Peterson is the fastest NFL player. He has been timed at 21.79 miles per hour, which is the highest speed ever recorded for a running back. He also holds the NFL record for the longest run from scrimmage, which was a 99-yard touchdown run against the San Diego Chargers in 2007.
Peterson’s production on the field
Adrian Peterson is widely considered one of the best running backs in the NFL. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Peterson set an NFL single-game rushing record in 2007, and became the fifth fastest player to reach 10,000 career rushing yards in NFL history.
In his 10 NFL seasons, Peterson has been selected to seven Pro Bowls and has been named a First-Team All-Pro four times. He has led the league in rushing yards three times, and is one of only three running backs to have done so more than once. He is also one of only five players to have more than 2,000 career rushing yards in a season.
The Case for Jamaal Charles
In the NFL, speed is king. And Jamaal Charles is the reigning king of speed. The Kansas City Chiefs running back has been clocked at a top speed of 22.05 MPH, which is the fastest recorded speed of any NFL player. But Charles is more than just a one-trick pony. He’s also one of the most versatile and powerful runners in the league.
Charles’ top speed of 21.64 mph
In 2012, Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs was clocked at 21.64 mph, the fastest speed by an NFL player that year. In 2013, De’Angelo Hall of the Washington Redskins recorded the fastest time at 22.05 mph.
These speeds are exceptional, but not unachievable for human beings. Elite sprinters can run 100 meters in about 9.58 seconds, which comes out to about 23 mph. Usain Bolt, considered the fastest man in the world, has been timed at 28 mph.
So how does Charles’ speed compare to other NFL players? To date, there have been 31 players who have been clocked at 20 mph or faster in the 40-yard dash. Of these 31 players, 16 are running backs, 6 are wide receivers, 5 are defensive backs, 3 are quarterbacks, and 1 is a linebacker.
Looking at the list of players who have run a sub-4.3 40-yard dash, Charles’ name appears 11th on the all-time list. He is behind five wide receivers (John Ross, Henry Ruggs III, Willie Gault, Marquise Goodwin, and Tyreek Hill) and five running backs (Chris Johnson, Dri Archer, Darrell Evans handcuff Roquan Smith Adidas Jersey , Leonard Fournette
Charles’ production on the field
Jamaal Charles has been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL over the last few years. In fact, he’s been so good that he’s been named to the Pro Bowl three times and was even named First Team All-Pro in 2010.
But despite all of his success on the field, some people still don’t think that Charles is one of the elite running backs in the league. There are a few reasons for this, but the main one seems to be that people think he’s too small to be an every down back.
At 5’11” and 199 pounds, Charles is definitely on the smaller side for an NFL running back. But that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most elusive runners in the league. In fact, Charles has averaged an impressive 5.5 yards per carry over his career, which is better than Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders.
Charles also has a proven track record of being able to stay healthy and play at a high level for an extended period of time. He’s only missed four games in his nine-year career and has averaged over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his last five seasons.
The Case for Chris Johnson
In 2008, Chris Johnson set the NFL Combine record in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.24 seconds. He also set the NFL record for the fastest time in the 40-yard dash at the Tennessee Titans’ Pro Day with a time of 4.18 seconds. These are just two of the many reasons why Chris Johnson is the fastest NFL player.
Johnson’s top speed of 21.24 mph
In 2008, Chris Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds, a time that would have been the second fastest ever recorded at an NFL Combine had it not been for Jonathon Mingo’s 4.21 in the same year. In 2009, Chris Johnson ran 100 meters in 9.27 seconds, again the second fastest time ever recorded by an NFL player. In 2010, Chris Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds.
Johnson’s production on the field
Chris Johnson is one of the most productive and explosive running backs in the NFL today. In his six NFL seasons, Johnson has rushed for over 1,000 yards five times (including a 2,006-yard season in 2009), been selected to three Pro Bowls, and been named a first-team All-Pro once. He has also demonstrated his big-play ability by scoring 50 touchdowns (47 rushing, 3 receiving) and averaging 5.4 yards per carry over his career.
The Case for DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson is one of the most electric players in the NFL. He’s known for his speed and big-play ability, and he’s shown time and time again that he’s one of the league’s premier deep threats. In a league with a lot of big and physical receivers, Jackson’s speed is a valuable asset.
Jackson’s top speed of 21.11 mph
In 2019, DeSean Jackson had the highest top speed of any NFL player at 21.11 mph. He also had the second-highest max speed, reaching 20.64 mph on a 105-yard touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys. Jackson is one of only two players to hit both 20 mph and 21 mph in a single season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Jackson’s top speed was matched by only one other player in 2019: Baltimore Ravens wide receiver John Brown. Brown hit 21.11 mph on a 77-yard touchdown catch against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. Like Jackson, Brown also had a max speed of 20.64 mph, which he reached on a 61-yard catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.
While Jackson and Brown were tied for the league lead in top speed, Jackson had a higher max speed than any other player in 2019. His 105-yard touchdown catch against the Cowboys was the longest play of the season and the second-longest play of his career. It was also the fastest play from scrimmage in NFL history, according to Next Gen Stats.
Jackson’s production on the field
In his eight NFL seasons, Jackson has caught 401 passes for 6,117 yards and 32 touchdowns. He has also rushed for four touchdowns and returned seven punts and three kickoffs for touchdowns. His career average of 17.4 yards per reception is the highest in NFL history.
Jackson’s best season came in 2009, when he caught 62 passes for 1,156 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown and returned four punts for touchdowns. That year, he was named to the Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro selection.
Jackson has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times (2009, 2013, 2014) and has been a first-team All-Pro selection twice (2009, 2013). He was also named the NFC Offensive Player of the Year in 2010.