Does the 40 yard dash time really matter when it comes to a wide receiver in the nfl?

[BigSyke]

okay a lot of people have been very impressed with certain guys with fast 40 times while the other guys with slower time are not getting much attention.

is the 40 time really an indication of how great a wide receiver will perform in the pro game?

well i went and did a bit of research on the TOP 40 NFL wide receivers in stats to see how many guys are doing a good job who really didnt run a fast 40 time....

these are stats pulled from the 2012 season.

here are the results. will this change your mind on a certain WR you like or dislike????

all these guys ran a 4.5 or higher!!!!

brandon marshall 118 rec 1,508 yards 11 tds

dez bryant 92 rec 1,382 yards 12 tds

wes welker 118rec 1,354 yards 6 tds

aj green 97 rec 1,350 yards 11 tds

marques colston 83 rec 1,154 yards 9 tds

michael crabtree 85 rec 1,105 yards 9 tds

brian harline 74 rec 1,083 yards 1 td

eric decker 85 rec 1,064 yards 13 tds

stevie johnson 79 rec 1,046 yards 6 tds

lance moore 65 rec 1,041 yards 6 tds

mike williams 63 rec 996 yards 9 tds

cecil shorts 55 rec 979 yards 7 tds

aquan boldin 65 rec 921 yards 4 tds

jeremy kerley 56 rec 827 yards 2 tds

josh gordon 50 rec 805 yards 5 tds

dwayne bowe 59 rec 801 yards 3 tds

[Frank Hollywood]

If you want this to be more informative, list all top 25 receivers in yards for last season and list their 40 time beside it.

[Miiikey]

You can be fast as you like and still be crap. *cough*Raiders*cough*

[teeray]

Most scouts look at it about the same way I look at it. You only pay attention to these things when they are extraordinary and force you to pay attention whether it be good or bad.

For instance if you burn off a 4.25 40, suddenly as a scout you have to go back and take another look at that guy on film.

Same thing if a guy unexpectedly runs a 4.75. You have to figure out if you missed something.

By and large it doesn't mean much. But if you blow it out or bomb suddenly the scouts have more work to do.

Also there are guys like the dude from South Carolina last year (can't remember his name). It was important that he run a good time or else he would have slipped.possibly to the 4th or 5th round instead of the top 2 rounds.

40 times don't determine success, but you can turn some heads either toward you or away from you depending on how you run.

[Peppers90 NC]

depends on the type of player he is and does he have other strengths to make up for lack of speed, ie route running, awareness, jumping, hands etc

[teeray]

Also, different times mean different things for different receivers.

If you are a smaller receiver (6'1 or shorter) you need to be around sub 4.5.

If you are a 6'3 (or taller) 233 pound receiver, you are okay as long as you don't dip over a 4.65 type range.

When you get into freak mode is when you are 6'3 233 pounds and run a sub 4.4 40. That will make people suddenly take notice and do some more homework.

[bleys]

is the 40 time really an indication of how great a wide receiver will perform in the pro game?

of course not.. that would be ridiculous. there is more to being a wide receiver than speed but you are that much more of a threat if you're more explosive than anyone else on the field.

[jtnc]

Unless you're snail pace slow, no. It doesn't matter.

[Gucci Mane]

I wish they would make the skill guys run a 100m on the track, that way we can get a true sense of how fast they are...cause you can take a 4.75 guy and teach him how to start and all of the sudden hes down to a 4.6 when he really didnt get any faster.

[CRA]

40 times often don't tell you about football speed....

Tells you often who has a track background and worked the hardest to perfect the start.

Nuk Hopkins can get open better than lots of players who run better 40s.

[Frizzy350]

Not only is the 40 time deceptive, but the raw speed it is meant to measure is generally pointless.

It is done without pads or a helmet so it does a poor job at mimicking game pace. Also how often do players get to run 40 yards without having to make any cuts or moves? That's a pretty rare occurrence. Sure it makes sense for guys who are going to be returning kickoffs and punts and maybe deep ball receivers, but even for them that is rare.

[Lumps]

Just a peice in painting the whole picture

[Cam2Ligit2Quit]

Most scouts look at it about the same way I look at it. You only pay attention to these things when they are extraordinary and force you to pay attention whether it be good or bad.

For instance if you burn off a 4.25 40, suddenly as a scout you have to go back and take another look at that guy on film.

Same thing if a guy unexpectedly runs a 4.75. You have to figure out if you missed something.

By and large it doesn't mean much. But if you blow it out or bomb suddenly the scouts have more work to do.

Also there are guys like the dude from South Carolina last year (can't remember his name). It was important that he run a good time or else he would have slipped.possibly to the 4th or 5th round instead of the top 2 rounds.

40 times don't determine success, but you can turn some heads either toward you or away from you depending on how you run.

his name is Alshon Jeffery. #17 WR; 6' 3", 216 lbs

[stankowalski]

40 times are really only important if you're a fan trying to get out to the parking lot before everybody else after a game.