Fastest 40-yard Dash Times in NFL Combine History: Top 10 cornerbacks

No event at the NFL Combine attracts more eyeballs than the 40-yard Dash. Especially when looking at skill positions. Teams wait for these runs before making final evaluations and a good number can drastically change a player’s draft stock.

One position group really pops off the page when looking at their top-10 times of all time — cornerback. It’s a spot where speed is required going up against fellow speedy wide receivers. Testing poorly in the 40-yard Dash is almost not an option.

So which cornerbacks have the fastest times throughout time? Here are the top 10 with multiple ties throughout the list.

1. Kalon Barnes – Baylor: 4.23 in 2022

Barnes stands alone from a cornerback’s perspective, running a 4.23. He did eventually get drafted in 2022 but just at the end of the seventh round by the Carolina Panthers.

Today, Barnes is unfortunately out of the NFL. He is set to play for the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL, maybe working his way back into the league with solid performances.

T-2. DJ Turner – Michigan: 4.26 in 2023

Michigan competing at the highest level of college football was mostly due to their elite defense. Having a player like Turner, who ran a 4.26 after his successful days in college, certainly helps.

Cincinnati drafted Turner in the second round and started him for 12 games during the 2023 season. A knee injury did keep him sidelined for most of 2024, though.

T-2. Riq Woolen – UTSA: 4.26 in 2022

One year earlier, Woolen was the one turning heads at the Combine. His 4.26 gave him sole possession of second place at the time, only being 0.03 off from the cornerback record.

Seattle went on to select Woolen in the fifth round and instantly got results. Woolen led the NFL in interceptions as a rookie and has been a starter over the past three years.

T-4. Nate Wiggins – Clemson: 4.28 in 2024

Wiggins parlayed his speed into a first-round selection. The Baltimore Ravens took one of the 2024 draft’s best corners and enjoyed having him on the roster this past season.

One interception and 12 PBUs are on Wiggins’ rookie season stat sheet. Running a 4.28 gives Baltimore confidence he can run with any receiver out there, especially in a loaded AFC.

T-4. Jalen Myrick – Minnesota: 4.28 in 2017

Of the players inside the top five, Myrick finds his run as the most dated. All the way back in 2017, the Minnesota product ran a 4.28 and held the cornerback record for five years.

Myrick was a seventh-round pick and wound up only playing in the NFL for three seasons. His coaching career has actually gotten underway, serving as the wide receivers coach at Winona State in 2022 before moving to DBs the following year.

Remaining top-10 40-yard Dash times for cornerbacks

T-6. Javelin Guidry – Utah: 4.3 in 2023
T-6. Jakorien Bennett – Maryland: 4.3 in 2023
T-6. Jamel Dean – Auburn: 4.3 in 2019
T-7. Trae Waynes – Michigan State: 4.31 in 2015
T-7. Tyvon Branch – UConn: 4.31 in 2008
T-7. Justin King – Penn State: 4.31 in 2008