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

Every year the fastest 40-yard dash times at the NFL Combine draw significant interest, with that being one of the most high-profile events at the annual scouting event. Every year a player makes himself some major money with a blazing fast time.

Who will this year’s fastest 40-yard dash times belong to? We’ll find out.

But first let’s look back at some of the fastest 40-yard dash times in the NFL Combine’s history. You can view an overview of the fastest times in history here, regardless of position.

Now, though, we’ll break down the fastest 40-yard dash times by safeties. All but one of the times has been recorded within the last seven years. Let’s begin.

1) 4.29 – Zedrick Woods, Ole Miss (2019)

The Ole Miss standout owns the NFL Combine record for safeties in the 40-yard dash by a wide margin, a full five-tenths of a second. A 4.29 is blazing by any standards, let alone for a safety.

Woods would end up going undrafted despite his blazing 40-yard dash time, a bit of a surprise. He was asked to training camp by the Jacksonville Jaguars but ended up retiring shortly before reporting.

2) 4.34 – Nick Cross, Maryland (2022)

Unlike Woods, clocking one of the fastest 40-yard dash times certainly helped Cross in the pre-draft process. The talented Maryland player wound up selected in the middle of the third round by the Indianapolis Colts.

Cross has since suited up for the Colts a ton, playing in 50 games in three years. He has logged 104 tackles, a sack, four interceptions and seven passes defended, with the majority of that production coming this year. His best football appears to be in front of him.

3) 4.34 – Troy Apke, Penn State (2018)

Apke is another player who turned in an excellent 40-yard dash and benefited by being selected in the NFL Draft. He was a fourth-round pick of the Washington Redskins, a team he suited up for across multiple seasons.

The former Nittany Lions stud suited up in 52 games in five seasons for the Commanders. He recorded 69 tackles, an interception and two passes defended. Apke was released by the Commanders in November 2023.

4) 4.35 – Josh Barrett, Arizona State (2008)

Having one of the fastest 40-yard dash times might have been the saving grace for Barrett in the NFL Draft. He was taken by the Denver Broncos late in the draft, in the seveth round.

Barrett would go on to play in the NFL for a few years, first with the Broncos and then with the New England Patriots. The Sun Devils standout played in 25 games spanning across three seasons, tallying 49 tackles, an interception and four passes defended.

5) 4.36 – Tycen Anderson, Toledo (2022)

The Toledo blazer was taken in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, the same team that Anderson is playing for to this day. Speed has never really been in question for the former Rockets star.

Anderson has seen his usage ramp up quite a bit in the last few years. He played 17 games for Cincinnati in 2024, tallying 10 tackles on the year. That would double his previous total in the NFL to that point.

Fastest 40-yard Dash Times: 5-10

4.36 – Percy Butler, Louisiana (2022)
4.36 – JT Woods, Baylor (2022)
4.36 – Darnell Savage, Maryland (2019)
4.37 – Lewis Cine, Georgia (2022)
4.37 – L’Jarius Sneed, Louisiana Tech (2020)