Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News writes how the 40-yard dash is a vastly overrated tool in gauging how good potential NFL prospects will be.
But while the 40-yard dash is the most glamorous and most popular pre-draft measuring tool, it’s not a make-or-break event by any means. If it were, track stars would consistently become football stars. From Renaldo Nehemiah and others who have tried and failed over the decades, we know that just doesn’t happen.
And how often do running backs get a chance to run 40 yards down an NFL field unimpeded? And when that happens, it usually is the result of five bigger, stronger, slower guys imposing their will to open that kind of a lane.
I agree, but I’ve never heard a GM say on draft day, “John Paulsen’s 40-yard dash really blew us away and that’s why we chose him first overall.” The 40-yard dash is just one small aspect of what these teams put prospects through in pre-draft workouts. If anything, the media and fans blow it up more than the teams do.
