Fastest Tight 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 Tight Ends of all time.
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 Tight End NFL Combine 40 Times All-Time
| Fastest Tight End Times in NFL Combine History | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Vernon Davis | Maryland | 4.40 | 2006 |
| Dorin Dickerson | Pittsburgh | 4.40 | 2010 |
| Evan Engram | Ole Miss | 4.42 | 2017 |
| James Hanna | Oklahoma | 4.49 | 2012 |
| Albert Okwuegbunam | Missouri | 4.49 | 2020 |
| Jared Cook | South Carolina | 4.50 | 2009 |
| Noah Fant | Iowa | 4.50 | 2019 |
| Chris Gragg | Arkansas | 4.50 | 2013 |
| A.C. Leonard | Tennessee State | 4.50 | 2014 |
| O.J. Howard | Alabama | 4.51 | 2017 |
Year By Year Top Tight End 40 Times
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 40 times from each year going back to 2012. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any Tight End that has under a 4.70.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2023 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Will Mallory | Miami | 4.54 | 2023 |
| Zack Kuntz | Old Dominion | 4.55 | 2023 |
| Sam LaPorta | Iowa | 4.59 | 2023 |
| Luke Musgrave | Oregon State | 4.61 | 2023 |
| Luke Schoonmaker | Michigan | 4.63 | 2023 |
| Darnell Washington | Georgia | 4.64 | 2023 |
| Josh Whyle | Cincinnati | 4.69 | 2023 |
| Tucker Kraft | South Dakota State | 4.69 | 2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2022 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | Maryland | 4.52 | 2022 |
| Jelani Woods | Virginia | 4.61 | 2022 |
| Grant Calcaterra | SMU | 4.62 | 2022 |
| Daniel Bellinger | San Diego State | 4.63 | 2022 |
| Greg Dulcich | UCLA | 4.69 | 2022 |
2020
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2020 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Albert Okwuegbunam | Missouri | 4.49 | 2020 |
| Brycen Hopkins | Purdue | 4.66 | 2020 |
| Stephen Sullivan | LSU | 4.66 | 2020 |
| Cole Kmet | Notre Dame | 4.70 | 2020 |
| Dalton Keene | Virginia Tech | 4.71 | 2020 |
2019
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2019 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Noah Fant | Iowa | 4.50 | 2019 |
| Caleb Wilson | UCLA | 4.56 | 2019 |
| Josh Oliver | San Jose State | 4.63 | 2019 |
| Irv Smith | Alabama | 4.63 | 2019 |
| Foster Moreau | LSU | 4.66 | 2019 |
| Kahale Warring | San Diego State | 4.67 | 2019 |
2018
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2018 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Mike Gesicki | Penn State | 4.54 | 2018 |
| Mark Andrews | Oklahoma | 4.67 | 2018 |
| Hayden Hurst | South Carolina | 4.67 | 2018 |
| Ian Thomas | Indiana | 4.74 | 2018 |
| Jordan Thomas | Mississippi State | 4.74 | 2018 |
2017
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2017 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Evan Engram | Ole Miss | 4.42 | 2017 |
| O.J. Howard | Alabama | 4.51 | 2017 |
| George Kittle | Iowa | 4.52 | 2017 |
| Darrell Daniels | Washington | 4.55 | 2017 |
| Temuchin Hodges | Virginia Tech | 4.57 | 2017 |
| Gerald Everett | South Alabama | 4.62 | 2017 |
| Jonnu Smith | Florida International | 4.62 | 2017 |
| David Njoku | Miami | 4.64 | 2017 |
| Cethan Carter | Nebraska | 4.68 | 2017 |
| Jeremy Sprinkle | Arkansas | 4.69 | 2017 |
2016
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2016 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Jerell Adams | South Carolina | 4.64 | 2016 |
| Temarrick Hemingway | South Carolina State | 4.71 | 2016 |
| Thomas Duarte | UCLA | 4.72 | 2016 |
| Austin Hooper | Stanford | 4.72 | 2016 |
| Ben Braunecker | Harvard | 4.73 | 2016 |
2015
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2015 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| MyCole Pruitt | Southern Illinois | 4.58 | 2015 |
| Wes Saxton | South Alabama | 4.65 | 2015 |
| Maxx Williams | Minnesota | 4.78 | 2015 |
| Clive Walford | Miami | 4.79 | 2015 |
| Blake Bell | Oklahoma | 4.80 | 2015 |
2014
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2014 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| A.C. Leonard | Tennessee State | 4.50 | 2014 |
| Eric Ebron | North Carolina | 4.60 | 2014 |
| Colt Lyerla | Oregon | 4.61 | 2014 |
| Jace Amaro | Texas Tech | 4.74 | 2014 |
| C.J. Fiedorowicz | Iowa | 4.76 | 2014 |
2013
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2013 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| Chris Gragg | Arkansas | 4.50 | 2013 |
| Matt Furstenburg | Maryland | 4.62 | 2013 |
| Jake Stoneburner | Ohio State | 4.65 | 2013 |
| Tyler Eifert | Notre Dame | 4.68 | 2013 |
| Vance McDonald | Rice | 4.69 | 2013 |
2012
| Fastest NFL Combine Tight End Times 2012 | |||
| Player | School | Time | Year |
| James Hanna | Oklahoma | 4.49 | 2012 |
| Ladarius Green | Louisiana-Lafayette | 4.53 | 2012 |
| Evan Rodriguez | Temple | 4.58 | 2012 |
| Michael Egnew | Missouri | 4.62 | 2012 |
| Drake Dunsmore | Northwestern | 4.64 | 2012 |
FAQ
Does Running a Fast 40 at the Combine Guarantee Success for a Tight End?
Running a fast 40 at the NFL Combine can lead to much hype and recognition, but does it directly translate to NFL success?
Guarantee is a strong word so, of course, running a fast 40 doesn’t guarantee success in the NFL. But, if you post an all-time best 40 time as a Tight End, your chances are actually really good.
I took a look at the careers of the top 10 Tight Ends all-time and here’s what I found.
4 of the 10 (Davis, Engram, Cook, Howard) were drafted in the first round, with the fastest time ever – Vernon Davis’s 4.40 in 2006 – helping him get picked 6th overall by the 49ers.
Only 1 of the top 10, A.C. Leonard of Tennessee State went undrafted. (He was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings)
Even more impressive, all 9 Tight Ends who were drafted played at least 3 years in the league.
Finally, 3 of the top 10 (Davis twice, Engram, Cook twice) have received Pro Bowl recognition which is more than any other position group I’ve broken down thus far.
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 done thus far: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers
