The Bills want speedy receivers. Here's how the 40-yard dash went at the NFL combine
While there are plenty of ways that speed shows up on the field, the 40-yard dash is perhaps the most entertaining for fans following the combine closely. And it can be illustrative, as well.
This year’s 40-yard dash king has emerged.
Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson took the crown of fastest 40 at the 2026 NFL scouting combine this week in Indianapolis. Thompson ran a 4.26-second 40 on Saturday, a time that tied the fifth-fastest combine 40-yard dash since 2003.
Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine Saturday in Indianapolis.
Michael Conroy, Associated Press
While there are plenty of ways that speed shows up on the field, the 40-yard dash is perhaps the most entertaining for fans following the combine closely. And it can be illustrative, as well.
Bills general manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane made it clear once again in Indianapolis that the Bills will look for speed as they evaluate wide receivers.
A high-school sprinter, Thompson was one of just three players in Indianapolis to run under 4.3 seconds heading into Sunday. The offensive line was set to be the last group to run the 40 on Sunday, so it’s doubtful any of them would break that mark.
Thompson joined Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. (4.27 seconds) and LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas (4.28) as the only three to run under 4.3, keeping the combine record safe.
The combine record is 4.21 seconds, set in 2024 by wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
Worthy was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round with the 28th overall pick, one that was traded to them by the Bills. The Bills traded back twice. They ended up selecting wide receiver Keon Coleman at No. 33, a pick that has yet to fully pan out for Buffalo. Coleman ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at the combine.
Worthy, meanwhile, said at last year’s Super Bowl that he used the Bills' trading out of drafting him as motivation throughout the season.
Beane doesn’t want just track-and-field speed, though. And while the combine gives him a chance to see speed translate to different drills, it’s the interviews that really make an impact on his evaluation.
“There are some guys that are naturally quicker, well, I hope to see that quickness in some of the drills, and some guys are straight line speed that they might struggle in a shuttle drill or whatnot,” Beane said Tuesday. “But to me, I like the combination to really understand their personality, what makes them tick.”
Rounding out the top-five 40-yard dash times after Thompson, Styles, and Thomas were two more wide receivers: Deion Burks of Oklahoma, who ran a 4.30, and Jeff Caldwell of Cincinnati, who ran a 4.31.
The top 10 included a cornerback, two more safeties, a running back, and another wide receiver. This class of wide receivers has been noted for collective speed, though none quite as fast as Worthy.
A few top wide receiver prospects did not participate in the 40 this year for various reasons, including Makai Lemon (USC), Denzel Boston (Washington), KC Concepcion (Texas A&M), and Jordyn Tyson (ASU).
Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, who may be the top receiver of the class according to many evaluators, ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash. As far as testing, Tate was planning on doing just the 40 at the combine and waiting on the rest. He believes he brings more than just speed.
“Well, I can do it all,” Tate said at the combine. “Route running − I was able to flip DBs all throughout the season and run past them.”
Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine Saturday in Indianapolis.
Michael Conroy, Associated Press
The film for different players will explain how that speed translates into playmaking. Thompson, for example, showed how he could capitalize on his speed with a game-winning 58-yard touchdown last season to torch then-No. 12 Arizona State.
As Beane and the Bills take the 40-yard dash into account, they’ll also be weighing plenty of other factors in their eventual selections.
Top 15 40-yard dash times from 2026 NFL combine
| 1 | Brenen Thompson | Wide receiver | Mississippi State | 4.26 seconds |
| 2 | Lorenzo Styles Jr. | Safety | Ohio State | 4.27 seconds |
| 3 | Zavion Thomas | Wide receiver | LSU | 4.28 seconds |
| 4 | Deion Burks | Wide receiver | Oklahoma | 4.30 seconds |
| 5 | Jeff Caldwell | Wide receiver | Cincinnati | 4.31 seconds |
| 6 | Toriano Pride Jr. | Cornerback | Missouri | 4.32 seconds |
| 7 | Treydan Stukes | Safety | Arizona | 4.33 seconds |
| 8 | Mike Washington Jr. | Running back | Arkansas | 4.33 seconds |
| 9 | Bryce Lance | Wide receiver | North Dakota State | 4.34 seconds |
| 10 | Zachariah Branch | Wide receiver | Georgia | 4.35 seconds |
| 11 | Eric Rivers | Wide receiver | Georgia Tech | 4.35 seconds |
| 12 | Dillon Thieneman | Safety | Oregon | 4.35 seconds |
| 13 | Taylor Green | Quarterback | Arkansas | 4.36 seconds |
| 14 | Jeremiyah Love | Running back | Notre Dame | 4.36 seconds |
| 15 | De'Zhaun Stribling | Ride receiver | Mississippi | 4.36 seconds |