Best Wide Receiver Shuttle Times in NFL Combine History
I’ve always loved the NFL Combine. A series of events to evaluate the physical characteristics of the best college football players each year. It’s basically an Olympic decathlon for potential NFL Rookies.
When I train players for the combine, one of the things we always do is look at previous years’ results to see how we stack up. It is a great tool for goal-setting and motivation.
This guide is simply me sharing this information with you. I went through all the previous NFL Combines to find the top Wide Receiver 20 Yard Shuttle performances of all time.
Note: These are the official NFL Combine times from NFL.com. Some resources online will also include pro-day numbers, but because there are so many other variables with pro-day numbers (surface, traction, weather, etc) I’ve stuck strictly to the official reps from Indianapolis.
Fastest Wide Receiver 20 yd Shuttle Drills All-Time
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine History | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Brandin Cooks | Oregon State | 3.81 | 2014 |
| Austin Pettis | Boise State | 3.88 | 2011 |
| Damian Copeland | Louisville | 3.90 | 2014 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Ohio State | 3.93 | 2023 |
| Odell Beckham Jr | LSU | 3.94 | 2014 |
| Isaiah Burse | Fresno State | 3.94 | 2014 |
| Jeff Maehl | Oregon | 3.94 | 2011 |
| Bruce Ellington | South Carolina | 3.95 | 2014 |
| TJ Moe | Missouri | 3.96 | 2013 |
| Arman Shields | Richmond | 3.96 | 2008 |
Year By Year Top Wide Receiver Shuttle Times
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 shuttle times from each year going back to 2012. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any wide receiver that ran a 4.00 or less.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2023 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Ohio State | 3.93 | 2023 |
| Andrei Iosivas | Princeton | 4.12 | 2023 |
| Bryce Ford-Wheaton | West Virginia | 4.15 | 2023 |
| Ronnie Bell | Michigan | 4.15 | 2023 |
| Mitchell Tinsley | Penn State | 4.21 | 2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2022 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Calvin Austin III | Memphis | 4.07 | 2022 |
| Kevin Austin Jr | Notre Dame | 4.15 | 2022 |
| Khalil Shakir | Boise State | 4.21 | 2022 |
| Alec Pierce | Cincinnati | 4.28 | 2022 |
| Jalen Nailor | Michigan State | 4.28 | 2022 |
2020
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2020 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Isaiah Hodgins | Oregon State | 4.12 | 2020 |
| Michael Pittman | USC | 4.14 | 2020 |
| Devin Duvernay | Texas | 4.20 | 2020 |
| John Hightower | Boise State | 4.21 | 2020 |
| Aaron Parker | Rhode Island | 4.23 | 2020 |
2019
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2019 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Parris Campbell | Ohio State | 4.03 | 2019 |
| Cody Thompson | Toledo | 4.03 | 2019 |
| Miles Boykin | Notre Dame | 4.07 | 2019 |
| Stanley Morgan | Nebraska | 4.13 | 2019 |
| Deebo Samuel | South Carolina | 4.14 | 2019 |
2018
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2018 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Dylan Cantrell | Texas Tech | 4.03 | 2018 |
| J’Mon Moore | Missouri | 4.04 | 2018 |
| DJ Moore | Maryland | 4.07 | 2018 |
| Courtland Sutton | SMU | 4.11 | 2018 |
| Keke Coutee | Texas Tech | 4.15 | 2018 |
| DaeSean Hamilton | Penn State | 4.15 | 2018 |
2017
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2017 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Chris Godwin | Penn State | 4.00 | 2017 |
| Ryan Switzer | North Carolina | 4.00 | 2017 |
| Zay Jones | East Carolina | 4.01 | 2017 |
| Trent Taylor | Louisiana Tech | 4.01 | 2017 |
| Cooper Kupp | Eastern Washington | 4.08 | 2017 |
2016
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2016 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| DJ Foster | Arizona State | 4.07 | 2016 |
| Braxton Miller | Ohio State | 4.07 | 2016 |
| Josh Doctson | TCU | 4.08 | 2016 |
| Jalin Marshall | Ohio State | 4.13 | 2016 |
| Marquez North | Tennessee | 4.13 | 2016 |
| Michael Thomas | Ohio State | 4.13 | 2016 |
2015
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2015 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Amari Cooper | Alabama | 3.98 | 2015 |
| Sammie Coates | Auburn | 4.06 | 2015 |
| Mario Alford | West Virginia | 4.07 | 2015 |
| Tyler Lockett | Kansas State | 4.07 | 2015 |
| Tre McBride | William & Mary | 4.08 | 2015 |
2014
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2014 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Brandin Cooks | Oregon State | 3.81 | 2014 |
| Damian Copeland | Louisville | 3.90 | 2014 |
| Odell Beckham Jr | LSU | 3.94 | 2014 |
| Isaiah Burse | Fresno State | 3.94 | 2014 |
| Bruce Ellington | South Carolina | 3.95 | 2014 |
| Jeff Janis | Saginaw Valley State | 3.98 | 2014 |
2013
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2013 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| TJ Moe | Missouri | 3.96 | 2013 |
| Tavon Austin | West Virginia | 4.01 | 2013 |
| Quinton Patton | Louisiana Tech | 4.01 | 2013 |
| Markus Wheaton | Oregon State | 4.02 | 2013 |
| Da’Rick Rogers | Tennessee Tech | 4.06 | 2013 |
2012
| Fastest WR Shuttle Times in NFL Combine 2012 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Junior Hemingway | Michigan | 3.98 | 2012 |
| Eric Page | Toledo | 3.98 | 2012 |
| Jarius Wright | Arkansas | 4.03 | 2012 |
| Kashif Moore | Connecticut | 4.05 | 2012 |
| Marvin McNutt | Iowa | 4.07 | 2012 |
Notes
Why were the times so much faster 10 years ago?
I don’t know this for a fact but I can give you a theory. When I first started coaching combine prep, we would teach guys to use the opposite hand to brace on the ground while they reached their outside hand to touch the line. This made it easier to bend and much easier to keep their weight toward the inside of the drill while reaching out to touch the line.
Around 10 years ago, the scouts came through and no longer allowed guys to brace with their off-hand. The off-hand had to stay off the ground. (I felt really bad for our guys that year because it was completely different than what was allowed before and different than what we had taught them to do)
This made transitioning in and out of both cuts on the line more challenging. Is that the whole reason? Probably not as there are always multiple factors at play for most things, but I have to think that had a big impact on times.
Additional Wide Receiver Results
In addition to the shuttle, I’ve compiled similar results for the following Combine events:
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that not everyone that gets invited to the NFL Combine actually participates in the Shuttle Drill. So, some players that potentially could put up a great time don’t have an official number on the record.
On top of that, there are many players each year that would have put up big numbers that don’t receive an NFL Combine invite. I’ve been at many a pro day where we had guys who put up numbers that would have put them right at the top of the rankings.
