Why is it that some of you huddlers are fixated on..

[ThPantherFan]

A wide receivers 40 time?

Do you guys realize that doesn't mean a damn thing in the NFL? You have to have more than speed. I've seen countless of times were I read some of your comments and shake my head at the sheer stupidit.

A wide out has to have not only speed, but awareness, has to have initiative, hand eye coordination, some type of athleticism to make plays. At least be smart enough to know how to learn a playbook. Can he run a route? Can he run the right route?

There are countless of wide outs that didn't run a 4.3 forty time and are great nfl players. The biggest example of this is Jerry Rice. But what did he have that compensated the lack of speed? Determination, great route running, great hands, superb intellect. He could learn a playbook. He wanted it bad.

In past years you had several low 40 time receivers that are really good wide outs. Last year's Jarvis Landry. The guy ran a horrible 40 time. But he caught everything in his path And knows his route tree. A couple of years ago, Keenan Allen, someone I was high ono, was injured and ran a slow 40 time. He went in the third to the Chargers, now SD has a #1 wide out.

The point is, I'd if a guy runs a slow 40 don't count him out. There are other ways to make up for that speed. Route running, hip placement, step placement, breaking in and out of routes is key to getting open, even the veteran moves to fake out a corner.

Having speed is fine, but can you control that speed? If you can't stop on a dime, it won't matter if you're fast as the flash.

When I see people bash the likes of say Justin Hardy because he ran a 4.5 forty at the combine or a 4.4 at his pro day, I can't help but to shake my head at the pure ignorance of it. He is one of the few guys that I would say is extremely underrated. His speed is decent but his work ethic, hands, route running, and determination will help him at the next level. If he is picked by the Panthers, I'll be ecstatic about it. Gettleman knows his poo.

/Rant over

Tl;dr - 40 times ain't poo Boys.

 

I may be ignorant but I'm not stupid.

 

[LUUUUUKE]

A wide receivers 40 time?

Do you guys realize that doesn't mean a damn thing in the NFL? You have to have more than speed. I've seen countless of times were I read some of your comments and shake my head at the sheer stupidit.

A wide out has to have not only speed, but awareness, has to have initiative, hand eye coordination, some type of athleticism to make plays. At least be smart enough to know how to learn a playbook. Can he run a route? Can he run the right route?

There are countless of wide outs that didn't run a 4.3 forty time and are great nfl players. The biggest example of this is Jerry Rice. But what did he have that compensated the lack of speed? Determination, great route running, great hands, superb intellect. He could learn a playbook. He wanted it bad.

In past years you had several low 40 time receivers that are really good wide outs. Last year's Jarvis Landry. The guy ran a horrible 40 time. But he caught everything in his path And knows his route tree. A couple of years ago, Keenan Allen, someone I was high ono, was injured and ran a slow 40 time. He went in the third to the Chargers, now SD has a #1 wide out.

The point is, I'd if a guy runs a slow 40 don't count him out. There are other ways to make up for that speed. Route running, hip placement, step placement, breaking in and out of routes is key to getting open, even the veteran moves to fake out a corner.

Having speed is fine, but can you control that speed? If you can't stop on a dime, it won't matter if you're fast as the flash.

When I see people bash the likes of say Justin Hardy because he ran a 4.5 forty at the combine or a 4.4 at his pro day, I can't help but to shake my head at the pure ignorance of it. He is one of the few guys that I would say is extremely underrated. His speed is decent but his work ethic, hands, route running, and determination will help him at the next level. If he is picked by the Panthers, I'll be ecstatic about it. Gettleman knows his poo.

/Rant over

Tl;dr - 40 times ain't poo Boys.

Oh look, another "look at me" thread. Dude, do you really think that you really just educated anyone? I bet that you seriously do, and that's the worst part.

When drafting a WR in the NFL speed doesn't matter guys. Keep right on listening to a guy that proclaims himself as awesome. Pffff your arrogant tone makes me want to puke

[Jacabee]

Bigger, faster receivers have more opportunities to receive over smaller, slower defenders.

 

Drafting is inherently an exercise in probability judgments, 40 times go a long way in informing those probability calculations to the extent that they inform drafters about how fast the individual can get from A to B. Generally, this goes along way towards informing potential drafters because of its foundational suggestion-someone that cant be covered has a greater chance to receive, GENERALLY.

 

But the physicality consideration is only baseline. It allows extrapolations about potential but there are many factors that can ultimately negate both realization and application of that potential. 

 

Ultimately, us on the outside dont have access to the facts that these decisions turn on. And how those "facts" are internalized isn;t necessarily science either. 

 

 

[Jase]

Jerry rice also had stickum. Don't forget the stickum.

[B.BERSIN]

Because this is the huddle, huddler wants every wr that's released by other teams and they like fast wr.

[DaCityKats]

It's just a piece of the puzzle. A fast 40 certainly doesn't mean a player will be good and a slow 40 doesn't necessarily mean a player will be bad, but it's part of the evaluation process.

this. and recently, more players have been getting knocked because they were fast. for every Stephen Hill, you have a Julio Jones out there. 

[TonyN]

I don't think any intelligent fan or NFL talent evaluator is "fixated" only on 40 times in the evaluation of receivers.

 

That being said, everything else being equal, a wide-out who runs a 4.40 40 yard dash is almost certainly going to be a better player than a wide-out who runs a 4.55 40 yard dash. But the shuttle run and 3 cone are also important drills to determine real, usable "football speed". Track speed does not necessarily translate into football speed. The bottom line is that 40 times are simply a piece of the puzzle.

[Riverboat Ron]

Give me a guy that runs a 3.85 40 and with elite hands and route running along with being 6'7".

[GoobyPls]

40 times are overrated, but speed isn't. Outside of the o-line our biggest problem was not having someone who can get deep.

[Bartin]

Because we really do need a deep threat that isn't an aging Ted Ginn and the 40 time despite its limitations really is the best measure of how good a WR will be as a deep threat. I'm not saying draft a guy on 40 time alone but for us it really does need to be a consideration moreso than it should normally.

[magnus]

40 time isn't crucial, and this won't be popular, but I care about a prospect a ton more than I care whether he went to a school you like. 

[Delhommey]

Ellipsis: Indentifying half thought out threads on the Huddle since 2003.

[blackcat]

I just need to know how much slower these young guys are than me. I can run faster than the lynx line in CLT. Backwards.

[h0llywood]

While I understand and agree with your premise, I had to look at some hard numbers.

Looking at the 40 times of the top 30 WRs of last season, there appears to be a correlation between 40 times and the top tiers of WRs.

 

My conclusion is that Nelson and Bryant are the exceptions and not the rule. Chances are, the top WR's are fast and not everyone is lucky enough to draft Jerry Rice or Larry Fitzgerald but will more than likely draft a sub 4.5 40 WR.

 

1. Antonio Brown - 4.47

2. Demaryius Thomas - 4.38 

3. Julio Jones - 4.39

4. Jordy Nelson - 4.51

5. Emmanuel Sanders - 4.41

6. TY Hilton - 4.34

7. Golden Tate 4.42

8. Dez Bryant - 4.52

9. Jeremy Maclin - 4.45

10. Odell Beckahm, Jr. - 4.43

 

4.43 Average 40 time of Top 10

8 out of 10 WR are sub 4.5 (Nelson/Bryant)

 

11. Randall Cobb - 4.46

12. Deandre Hopkins - 4.41

13. DeSean Jackson - 4.35 

14. Alshon Jeffrey - 4.48

15. Calvin Johnson - 4.35 

16. Steve Smith Sr. - 4.39

17. Anquan Boldin - 4.71

18. Mike Evans - 4.53

19. AJ Green - 4.50

20. Kelvin Benjamin - 4.61

 

4.47 average 40 time of 11-20 WR

6 out of 10 WR are sub 4.5 (Boldin, Evans, Green, Benjamin)

 

21. Vincent Jackson - 4.46 

22. Sammy Watkins - 4.43

23. Julian Edelman - 4.52 

24. Eric Decker - 4.54

25. Brandon LaFell - 4.54

26. Rueben Randle - 4.55

27. Andre Johnson - 4.41

28. Kenny Stills - 4.38

29. Roddy White - 4.47 

30. Marques Colston - 4.50

 

4.48 average 40 time of 21-30 WR

5 out of 10 RW are sub 4.5 (Edelman, Decker, LaFell, Randle, Colston)