The 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine is just a strange event. It basically has little to no bearing on your NFL career as long as you stay within the expectations that come with your position. However, a substantial difference in time in either direction—whether that be faster and slower—can greatly impact your draft stock. With that being said, the drill matters… and doesn’t matter at the same.
For some athletes, one slip-up of just a couple seconds in their 40-yard dash time can cost them a higher spot in the draft and millions of dollars or even worse, a potential spot on an NFL roster. From those prospects, like Tom Brady and Antonio Brown, who have experienced potentially detrimental failures while running the 40 only to come out better once they got their chance and entered the league to the players who weren’t as lucky and allowed one bad run to dictate their entire future in the NFL Draft, the 40 has proven to be a double-edged sword.
Instead of focusing on the athletes who blew away their field with an impressive showing of speed, we’re going to take a look at the worst of times for these NFL prospects. The ones who took part in the 40 only to wind up regretting their decision on the end.
Here’s a roundup of the most embarrassing 40-yard dashes in NFL Combine history, for your sadistic viewing pleasure.
1. “The Hummer Is Out”
2. And It’s Over, Just Like That
3. Nobody Is Perfect
4. A 40 With Little Bit of Danger
5. That’s One Way to Slow Yourself Down
6. Run Rich Eisen Run
7. The Worst of the Worst
8. Adding Insult to Injury
Player: John Ross, Washington wide receiver
Year: 2017
This was the year Adidas ran a contest during the Combine that promised a prospect an island (valued at $1 million) if he broke the record for fastest 40 time. John Ross ran a 4.22, eclipsing the previous mark of 4.24 held by Chris Johnson. So, he has an island to his name, right? Nope.
When he broke the record, Ross was wearing Nike cleats when he was required to wear the 2017 adizero 5-Star 40 cleat. Therefore, he was ineligible to receive the island, regardless of how things played out. Hey, at least, he got a Nike deal out of the mess.
10. Nope
11. Clarett Taps Out
12. Antonio Brown’s Revenge
Player: Antonio Brown, Central Michigan wide receiver
Year: 2010
If you’re looking for proof of how much one bad 40 time can weigh on a player, look no further than Antonio Brown. In 2010, AB ran a 4.47 at the Combine. Since then, Brown’s career has worked out as well as it possibly could; six years later, he posted a tweet with an update on his improved 40.
While Brown’s poor 40 may have taken a toll on his psyche and competitive spirit, he has turned into one of the best and most consistent wideouts in the league today, hauling in 100 passes each of the last five seasons. At this point, who cares about a bad 40 time? Clearly, Brown still does.
13. Trust Your Instincts
14. Teez Tabor and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 40
Player: Teez Tabor, Florida defensive back
Year: 2017
The only thing you need to know about how embarrassing Teez Tabor’s 40 time is this tweet:
Myles Garrett is a physical freak of nature, but he’s also four inches taller and 73 pounds heavier than Tabor. The former Florida cornerback just barely edged out his 40 time? C’mon man!
15. Never 40-ing Again
16. Turning Lemons Into Lemonade
17. Loud and Clear
18. Slow-Footed Suggs
19. No Speed, No Problem
20. Not So “Fast, Fast”
21. Wrong Place, Wrong (40) Time
22. Once Upon a Time, Before Drew Brees Became Drew Brees
23. What’s in a Name?
24. To 40 Or Not to 40?
25. Pick and Choose Your Battles
Player: Josh Oglesby, Wisconsin offensive lineman
Year: 2012
Sometimes, the most embarrassing part of competing in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine is actually taking part in the event in the first place. Coming out of Wisconsin, Josh Oglesby was considered a solid offensive lineman. However, one of his main issues was his six previous knee surgeries.
When Oglesby ran the 40, he put up a time of 5.8 seconds, which led teams to question whether his knees were impacting his quickness and hinted at a possible problem down the road. He ended up going undrafted.