Former Baylor star Kalon Barnes sets new NFL Combine record

Former Baylor Bears cornerback Kalon Barnes set a new NFL Scouting Combine record on Sunday. He clocked an official 4.23 40-yard dash, giving him the fastest all-time 40 by a defensive back at the combine.

His time puts him ahead of the second-place finisher, Tariq Woolen of UTSA, who ran a 4.26-second 40-yard dash.

Even more impressively, the former Bear was just one millisecond shy of the overall combine record. In 2017, wide receiver John Ross ran the 40-yard dash in a record-setting 4.22 seconds. Barnes’ teammate Tyquan Thornton ran a 4.29 on Thursday, also flirting with the overall record.

Barnes measured in at 5-foot-11 and one-half-inch and weighed in at 183 pounds. He may be undersized compared to some of the other corners in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he certainly makes up for it in speed, as evidenced by his 40-yard dash time.

Barnes’ history of speed

Perhaps Barnes’ speed comes as little surprise to those that have followed him throughout his athletic career. Pro Football Network noted that Barnes was a star track athlete in high school, too, as he was a two-time Texas state champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash events. Additionally, Barnes still owns the state 100-meter record. His time of 10.22 seconds is faster than multiple 100-meter semifinal times at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Barnes came to Baylor in 2018 as a four-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 38 cornerback in the 2018 recruiting class, and the Silsbee, TX native was the No. 48 overall recruit coming out of Texas. He made an immediate impact at Baylor, appearing in 11 of 12 games as a true freshman.

Barnes had a steady impact across his sophomore, junior and senior seasons with the Baylor Bears. His most impactful year came as a senior in 2021. He amassed 23 total tackles (21 solo stops), an interception and five passes defended. Over the course of the past three seasons, he had 58 total tackles (45 solo stops), three interceptions and 13 passes defended.

On3’s Simon Gibbs contributed to this report.