Top 10 Fastest Running Back In The NFL Today

Sunday Night Football is always where football fans turn to enjoy exciting moments. In this day and age, when playing tactics revolve around passing, speed is an essential factor, especially with running backs and wide receivers. To learn more about the top 10 Fastest running back in the NFL, check out this article with Scott Fujita.

Who Is The Fastest Running Back In The NFL: Top 10 List

Although the 40-yard dash is not an adequate measure of players’ speed on the football field, it still has important implications. To create the list of the top 10 fastest RBs this time around, we’ll be counting on their 40-yard dash times.

Jay Ajayi 

#10. Jay Ajayi

Franchise: Miami Dolphins.

4.57-second 40-yard dash.

Jay Ajayi is a Dolphins boomer. He was able to pass the 200-yard mark in a few of their games. This RB ran for 575 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carrying.

Jay Ajayi was the Dolphins’ fifth-round draft pick.

The ability to change direction quickly allows him to play faster than he can. His recklessness and daring also help Jay take on opposing defenses and defeat them at the collision point.

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• NFL top 100 players of all time
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#9. Melvin Gordon

Franchise: San Diego Chargers.

4.52-second 40-yard dash.

Melvin Gordon has been one of the most explosive full-backs in the NFL after a disappointing rookie season in 2015. The former Wisconsin Badgers star is one of the main reasons the San Diego Chargers have become so competitive.

Gordon dashed for 838 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 3.9 yards per taking.

There’s a glaring difference in Gordon’s running style, as he’s much more aggressive and ready to take on tough guys than he was a year ago. His ability to move quickly in the open area further increases the impact of his speed on his straight line.

Related: Best quarterbacks of all time

#8. David Johnson

Franchise: Arizona Cardinals.

4.50-second 40-yard dash.

Although the Cardinals had a bad season, we can hardly blame their RB, David Johnson. He was once the team’s brightest star, both as a runner and as a ball receiver in competition.

With nine touchdowns, Johnson ran 760 yards. He also caught 40 passes from 453 yards. Johnson is a savvy footballer who is adept at using false headers and power to get past tacklers.

#7. LeSean McCoy

Franchise: Buffalo Bills.

4.48-second 40-yard dash.

LeSean McCoy is also a strong contender for the title of all-around NFL player. He has performed brilliantly both as receiver and runner throughout his career. McCoy is devoting himself to the Bills just as he did to Philadelphia.

This guy ran 683 yards with six touchdowns and averaged 5.1 yards per carrying. He also caught 24 passes totaling 132 yards. Many believe that McCoy’s yards received will increase significantly after the second half of the season.

McCoy’s excellent stopping and dribbling ability made him such a dangerous back runner more than his speed.

#6. Ezekiel Elliott

Franchise: Dallas Cowboys.

4.47-second 40-yard dash.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB of the Cowboys, is the sixth player on this list. He was the first pick in the team’s draft and 4th pick overall. This guy had a great rookie season when he helped the Cowboys to a surprising 8-1 record.

Elliott was as powerful as a hammer behind the scenes, making 198 hits for 1,005 yards with nine touchdowns and eight runs from 20 yards or more.

Matt Forte

#5. Matt Forte

Franchise: New York Jets.

4.46-second 40-yard dash.

During his career years in the NFL, Matt Forte was one of the most consistent players.

He spent eight years of his career with the Chicago Bears. Although Forte is no substitute for the likes of Gale Sayers or Walter Payton, the lad is a reliable, hard-working, and forward-thinking player.

He dashed for 732 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 23 179-meter passes and one touchdown.

#4. Isaiah Crowell

Franchise: Cleveland Browns.

4.43-second 40-yard dash.

While head coach Hue Jackson’s team had many things going on, Isaiah Crowell was not one of them. He turned out to be a productive person and one of the few assets the team could count on from week to week. Crowell dashed for 551 yards and five touchdowns, and he averaged 4.6 yards per catch.

#3. Tevin Coleman

Franchise: Atlanta Falcons.

4.39-second 40-yard dash.

Tevin Coleman was once one of the Falcons’ weapons. He’s an additional runner who paired with Devonta Freeman to place the eighth team in the running game.

Thanks to his top-end speed, this guy plays a vital role in stopping the opponent. Coleman can run away from tacklers with ease when he’s open, and opposing defensive dispatchers have to account for his outburst as they deploy.

#2. Mike Gillislee

Franchise: Buffalo.

4.38 in the 40-yard dash.

Gillislee has the look of a 5’11” and 219-pound powerlifter, but he’s fast on the field.

Gillislee has tackled 42 times for 254 yards with four touchdowns this season, and he has a 44-yard long shot. His combination of speed and power will make him a valuable commodity in the NFL for several years to come.

#1. Lamar Miller

Franchise: Houston Texans.

4.34 in the 40-yard dash.

Miller burned the Texan for 185 yards when he was with the Dolphins last year, and Houston’s mighty defense didn’t know how to stop him.

Miller is quite a hit among the Texans, as he dashed for 720 yards and two touchdowns with an average of 4.2 yards per taking, and he also caught 22 passes with 124 yards and a score.

Frequently Asked Questions

To learn more about NFL players with nimble feet, keep reading our section as well.

Derrick Henry

Who Is The Fastest Running Back In The NFL Today?

According to Next Gen Stats, Derrick Henry is the running back with the fastest ball carrier speed in 2022 on a 76-yard TD run. The Tennessee Titans running back hit a whopping 21.8 miles per hour.

Who Is The Fastest Player In NFL History?

NFL’s Next Gen Stats did not appear in the era of Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, or even Chris Johnson. Therefore, it won’t be easy to get an exact answer.

John Ross’ 40-yard dash time is the fastest in NFL Combine history, but this number only marks the players’ pace before they entered the tournament. Before 2016, no accurate NFL app could determine the fastest player, like the Yahoo Sports app.

Currently, we rely on the player’s speed when carrying the ball to be able to determine. In particular, Tyreek Hill was the only player to reach a speed of 23.24 mph in the second leg against the Houston Texans. The second-place player was Raheem Mostert of the San Francisco 49ers with 23.09 mph.

We will take Usain Bolt as an example to compare the players’ speed.

WR Tyreek Hill had a challenge to the Olympic sprinter with a $1 million bet if they ran against each other. In 2019, Usain Bolt completed a 4.22-second 40-yard dash to set the NFL Combine record.

At its best, Bolt can achieve a full speed of 27.78 mph.

What Is The List Of The Fastest NFL Players In 2024?

List of NFL players with the top speed in 2024 includes:

• Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans: 21.8 mph.
• Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos: 21.52 mph.
• Sammy Watkins, WR, Baltimore Ravens: 21.05 mph.
• Devin Duvernay, WR, Baltimore Ravens: 21.01 mph.
• Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears: 20.88 mph.
• David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears: 20.80 mph.
• Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: 20.66 mph.
• Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans: 20.62 mph.
• Henry Ruggs, WR, Las Vegas Raiders: 20.62 mph.
• Isaiah McKenzie, WR, Buffalo Bills: 20.52 mph.

What Is The List Of The Fastest Players In 2020?

Based on ball carrier speed, this is the list of players with the fastest speed in 2020:

• Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers: 23.09 mph (Week 2) – 80-yard rushing TD.
• Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers, RB: 22.73 mph (Week 1) – 76-yard receiving TD.
• Kenyan Drake, Cardinals, RB: 22.11 mph (Week 6) – 69-yard rushing TD.
• Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts: 22.05 mph (Week 17).
• Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: 21.91 mph (Week 14).
• Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis Colts: 21.85 mph (Week 13).
• Nelson Agholor, WR, Las Vegas Raiders: 21.72 mph (Week 17).
• Trevon Diggs, CB, Dallas Cowboys: 21.72 mph (Week 8).
• Michael Davis, CB, Los Angeles Changers: 21.68 mph (Week 4).
• D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks: 21.66 mph (Week 7).

If there was any doubt about Mostert’s speed stats in Week 1, he smashed it in Week 2. With an 80-yard touchdown run against the New York Jets, this RB achieved an astonishing 23.09 mph speed.

Final Thoughts

With running backs, speed is an important metric. They need to be flexible and agile to keep the passing game active and overcome the obstacles of opposing defenders.

Surprisingly, the speed statistics in this article are awe-inspiring. Hopefully, we can see new faces with another breaking record in the future.