Fastest Defensive End 40 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. While it’s debatable whether this whole event is actually valuable (why we’re still doing 225 rep tests, especially with Wide Receivers, I’ll never know), my fascination with it has never waned.
When I trained players for the combine, one of the things we would always do is look at previous years’ results to see how we stacked up. It was a great tool for goal-setting and motivation.
I basically did the same thing for this guide. I went through all the previous NFL Combines to find the top Defensive Ends of all time. The NFL combine actually classifies this position now as “EDGE” in an attempt to accommodate for the 3-4 Hybrid edge rushers who can be tricky to label as an end or a linebacker.
Note: These are the official NFL Combine times from NFL.com. Some resources online will also include pro day times, but because there are so many other variables (surface, weather, etc) I’ve stuck strictly to the official times from Indianapolis.
Best Defensive End NFL Combine 40 Times All-Time
| Fastest Defensive End Times in NFL Combine History | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Amare Barno | Virginia Tech | 4.36 | 2022 |
| Nolan Smith | Georgia | 4.39 | 2023 |
| Montez Sweat | Mississippi State | 4.41 | 2019 |
| Byron Young | Tennessee | 4.43 | 2023 |
| Marcus Howard | Georgia | 4.45 | 2008 |
| Sam Williams | Ole Miss | 4.46 | 2022 |
| Leon Jacobs | Wisconsin | 4.48 | 2018 |
| Robert Beal Jr | Georgia | 4.48 | 2023 |
| Adetomiwa Adebawore | Northwestern | 4.49 | 2023 |
| Lorenzo Carter | Georgia | 4.50 | 2018 |
| Justin Hollins | Oregon | 4.50 | 2019 |
| Bruce Irvin | West Virginia | 4.50 | 2012 |
Year By Year Top Defensive End 40 Times
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 40 times from each year going back to 2013. (prior to 2013 defensive linemen were grouped together in results) In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any Defensive End that has run under a 4.60.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2023 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Nolan Smith | Georgia | 4.39 | 2023 |
| Byron Young | Tennessee | 4.43 | 2023 |
| Robert Beal Jr | Georgia | 4.48 | 2023 |
| Adetomiwa Adebawore | Northwestern | 4.49 | 2023 |
| Yaya Diaby | Louisville | 4.51 | 2023 |
| DJ Johnson | Oregon | 4.55 | 2023 |
| Derick Hall | Auburn | 4.57 | 2023 |
| Isaiah Foskey | Notre Dame | 4.58 | 2023 |
| Lukas Van Ness | Iowa | 4.58 | 2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2022 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Amare Barno | Virginia Tech | 4.36 | 2022 |
| Sam Williams | Ole Miss | 4.46 | 2022 |
| Travon Walker | Georgia | 4.51 | 2022 |
| Boye Mafe | Minnesota | 4.53 | 2022 |
| Nik Bonitto | Oklahoma | 4.54 | 2022 |
| David Ojabo | Michigan | 4.55 | 2022 |
| Kayvon Thibodeaux | Oregon | 4.58 | 2022 |
| Jermaine Johnson II | Florida State | 4.58 | 2022 |
2020
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2020 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Carter Coughlin | Minnesota | 4.57 | 2020 |
| Azur Kamara | Kansas | 4.59 | 2020 |
| James Smith-Williams | N.C. State | 4.60 | 2020 |
| Casey Toohill | Stanford | 4.62 | 2020 |
| Jabari Zuniga | Florida | 4.64 | 2020 |
2019
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2019 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Montez Sweat | Mississippi State | 4.41 | 2019 |
| Justin Hollins | Oregon | 4.50 | 2019 |
| Brian Burns | Florida State | 4.53 | 2019 |
| Rashaun Gary | Michigan | 4.58 | 2019 |
| Chase Winovich | Michigan | 4.59 | 2019 |
2018
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2018 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Leon Jacobs | Wisconsin | 4.48 | 2018 |
| Lorenzo Carter | Georgia | 4.50 | 2018 |
| Josh Sweat | Florida State | 4.53 | 2018 |
| Peter Kalambayi | Stanford | 4.57 | 2018 |
| Marcus Davenport | Texas San Antonio | 4.58 | 2018 |
2017
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2017 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Hasson Reddick | Temple | 4.52 | 2017 |
| Jordan Willis | Kansas State | 4.53 | 2017 |
| Takk McKinley | UCLA | 4.59 | 2017 |
| Derek Rivers | Youngstown State | 4.61 | 2017 |
| Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | 4.64 | 2017 |
| Carroll Phillips | Illinois | 4.64 | 2017 |
2016
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2016 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Charles Tapper | Oklahoma | 4.59 | 2016 |
| Emmanuel Ogbah | Oklahoma State | 4.63 | 2016 |
| Kamalei Correa | Boise State | 4.69 | 2016 |
| Shaq Lawson | Clemson | 4.70 | 2016 |
| Matt Judon | Grand Valley | 4.73 | 2016 |
2015
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2015 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Danielle Hunter | LSU | 4.57 | 2015 |
| Owa Odighizuwa | UCLA | 4.62 | 2015 |
| Obum Gwacham | Oregon State | 4.72 | 2015 |
| Preston Smith | Mississippi State | 4.74 | 2015 |
| Ryan Russell | Purdue | 4.75 | 2015 |
2014
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2014 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Jadeveon Clowney | South Carolina | 4.53 | 2014 |
| Larry Webster | Bloomsburg | 4.58 | 2014 |
| Howard Jones | Shepherd | 4.60 | 2014 |
| Jackson Jeffcoat | Texas | 4.63 | 2014 |
| Marcus Smith | Louisville | 4.68 | 2014 |
2013
| Fastest NFL Combine Defensive End Times 2013 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Trevardo Williams | Connecticut | 4.57 | 2013 |
| Barkevious Mingo | LSU | 4.58 | 2013 |
| Margus Hunt | SMU | 4.60 | 2013 |
| Dion Jordan | Oregon | 4.60 | 2013 |
| Corey Lemonier | Auburn | 4.60 | 2013 |
FAQ
Does Running a Fast 40 at the Combine Guarantee Success for a Defensive End?
Running a fast 40 at the NFL Combine can lead to much hype and recognition, but does it directly translate to NFL success?
I took a deeper dive into the top 10 all-time defensive end times to find out.
This position group was a little harder to decipher than some of the other positions I’ve looked at because 7 of the top 10 times have all been recorded in 2018 or later. So, most of these guys have only had a few years in the league.
What I can say is that putting in a top time as a Defensive End will at least get you drafted. Defensive End is the first position group I’ve researched where all ten of the top ten times were drafted. This includes the number one overall pick in 2022, Travon Walker to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that not everyone that gets invited to NFL Combine actually runs a 40 at the Combine. So, some players that potentially could have run extremely fast times don’t have an official time on the record.
On top of that, there are many players each year that would have put up fast times and had success at the NFL level that doesn’t receive an NFL Combine invite.
Other position groups I’ve researched: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Line
