The NFL Combine is known as the ultimate battleground where college prospects test their physical prowess. Top prospects from around the nation compete in a series of workouts that test their strength, quickness, and agility. But it’s speed that steals the show yearly. With the 40-yard dash being the key attraction, many are wondering who could run the fastest this year. Will it be Texas’ Isaiah Bond? Or Georgia’s Arian Smith?
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For starters, Smith is a freak athlete. In high school, he ran a 10.1-second 100-meter dash. Smith also competed in sprinting events while still attending Georgia. In 2019, he helped win the Pan American U20 Athletics Championship in the 4 x 100 event. Two years later in 2021, he ran in the SEC Championships. But this past year he decided to drop the running act and fully pursue football as a career. He ended up leading the Bulldogs in receiving yards with 817. Smith has drawn pro comparisons similar to Jameson Williams.
But Bond is no slouch when it comes to running. He was the Longhorns’ replacement for Xavier Worthy, who broke the 40-yard-dash Combine record last year. Bond managed to top 22 mph on a touchdown reception last season. He was the first college player in the nation to reach the speed in a game.
It’ll be super interesting to see who wins the race between the two. It’s a borderline professional sprinter in Smith versus the fastest man in college football in Bond. How could you not want to watch that?
But don’t get it twisted, a surprise name could sneak up on the two and top both Smith and Bond. Monaray Baldwin out of Baylor is currently projected to run a 4.24 time in the event. In 2022, he clocked in at a blazing 22.8 mph on a touchdown reception. And if you care about this stuff, his speed rating in last year’s college football game from EA Sports was 98.
Chris Tyree out of Virginia is also a good candidate to steal the show. As a senior in high school, Tyree ran a 4.37 time in the 40. Now with a few years of growing and strengthening, he could be ready to run a sub 4.3 time. Tyree started his career in college as a running back for Notre Dame before transferring to Virginia this past year. There he made the positional change to wideout. Mostly because of his smaller 5 foot 10, 190-pound frame. Still, speed kills, and he has it as a weapon. He also has a frame similar to Smith.
Lastly, Dylan Sampson has a shot to run the fastest in the event. The Tennessee Volunteer product was a track and field athlete in high school and ran a 4.32 second 40 unofficially. He’s 5 foot 10 and has great technique that could set him apart from everyone else. Which is again, eerily similar to Smith’s background.
We’ll see who ultimately ends up taking home the title of fastest college prospect. Draft stocks always rise and fall aggressively because of it. If we had to predict someone to win the event, it would have to be Smith. He’s just different from the rest of the bunch, and his professional sprinting background should give him the inside edge. Smith also has the chance to break Worthy’s record set last year, which is more difficult to say about the other runners.
