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Cornerbacks’ 40 Times Were Flat for 20 Years. Then Every Position Dropped at Once.

From 2000 to 2020 the average combine cornerback ran about 4.50. In 2022 the number fell to about 4.45 and stayed there. Players skipping the drill do not appear to explain it. Every position dropped at the same time, which points to something beyond faster cornerbacks.

Verdict: Data story

By Edgehalla ResearchPublished 7 min read

More takeaways below

  • The drop hit every position, by 0.04–0.09s, mostly from 2022 on. Cornerbacks did not get faster on their own.
  • The top end moved too, though it hangs on the cutoff: 5 of 8 times of 4.28 or faster came after 2021, 5 of 12 at 4.29. Kalon Barnes leads (4.23s).
On this page

Flat for 20 years, then a step

The average combine cornerback ran 4.519 seconds in 2000 and 4.496 in 2020. In between, every year landed between 4.44 and 4.55. Since 2022 the mean has sat near 4.45.

Cornerback 40-yard dash at the NFL combine

Mean of cornerbacks who ran, 2000–2026. Band: middle half (25th–75th percentile)

Show data
Cornerback 40 times held near 4.50 seconds from 2000 to 2020, then stepped down to about 4.45 from 2022.
YearCornerback mean 40 (s)Cornerback mean 40 (s) (range)
20004.52 s4.44 s to 4.55 s
20014.55 s4.49 s to 4.60 s
20024.52 s4.47 s to 4.58 s
20034.48 s4.42 s to 4.55 s
20044.48 s4.45 s to 4.53 s
20054.44 s4.37 s to 4.51 s
20064.49 s4.44 s to 4.57 s
20074.48 s4.39 s to 4.56 s
20084.45 s4.38 s to 4.52 s
20094.49 s4.44 s to 4.52 s
20104.49 s4.43 s to 4.52 s
20114.48 s4.42 s to 4.54 s
20124.50 s4.44 s to 4.57 s
20134.49 s4.42 s to 4.55 s
20144.51 s4.45 s to 4.59 s
20154.51 s4.44 s to 4.57 s
20164.50 s4.45 s to 4.55 s
20174.49 s4.43 s to 4.55 s
20184.50 s4.44 s to 4.56 s
20194.51 s4.45 s to 4.54 s
20204.50 s4.44 s to 4.57 s
20224.45 s4.39 s to 4.52 s
20234.46 s4.41 s to 4.53 s
20244.46 s4.39 s to 4.50 s
20254.44 s4.39 s to 4.50 s
20264.45 s4.41 s to 4.49 s
  • 2021: No combine
  • 2022: The step
nflverse combine file. Before 2017 it likely includes some 40s run outside the combine (for example Reggie Bush, 2006). 2021 had no combine (pro days only) and is left out. n 817 cornerbacks who ran.

NFL.com says average 40 times have "steadily dropped over the last 23 years". That claim covers every position since 2003; we checked cornerbacks. For them, it is not what the file shows. Nothing happened for two decades, then one step.

The fastest tenth moved the same way

Cornerback 40: median and the fastest tenth

Seconds, cornerbacks who ran

Show data
The fastest tenth averaged 4.36s in 2000–04 and 4.31s in 2022–26; the median moved from 4.51 to 4.46.
YearMedianFastest tenth (mean)
20004.52 s4.39 s
20014.54 s4.42 s
20024.53 s4.34 s
20034.48 s4.33 s
20044.49 s4.33 s
20054.44 s4.29 s
20064.48 s4.32 s
20074.45 s4.35 s
20084.44 s4.30 s
20094.48 s4.38 s
20104.49 s4.35 s
20114.46 s4.33 s
20124.50 s4.34 s
20134.51 s4.38 s
20144.51 s4.38 s
20154.51 s4.35 s
20164.49 s4.35 s
20174.51 s4.33 s
20184.51 s4.33 s
20194.51 s4.35 s
20204.48 s4.36 s
2021––
20224.48 s4.27 s
20234.46 s4.30 s
20244.47 s4.32 s
20254.45 s4.29 s
20264.45 s4.35 s
Fastest tenth = mean of the quickest 10% of runners that year (2 to 4 players), so single years are noisy.
Every cornerback 40 of 4.28 or faster in the combine file, 2000–2026 (2021 pro days excluded). Pre-2017 times may include some run outside the combine.
YearPlayer40 time
2022Kalon Barnes4.23s
2022Tariq Woolen4.26s
2023DJ Turner4.26s
2005Stanford Routt4.27s
2011Demarcus Van Dyke4.28s

Continues below

Rows 6–8 of 8
YearPlayer40 time
2017Jalen Myrick4.28s
2024Nate Wiggins4.28s
2025Maxwell Hairston4.28s

5 of the 8 cornerback times of 4.28 or faster came after 2021, led by Kalon Barnes at 4.23 in 2022. The count depends on the cutoff: at 4.29 or faster it is 5 of 12. So the top end probably moved down too, but the evidence is thin. Lorenzo Styles Jr. ran 4.27 in 2026 but is listed as a safety, so he is not in the table.

Fewer players run the 40

Share of combine invitees with a recorded 40

All invitees and cornerbacks, 2000–2026

Show data
Before 2017 almost every invitee has a 40 in the file; since then the share fell to 59% of all invitees and 63% of cornerbacks in 2026.
YearAll inviteesCornerbacks
200097%100%
200197%100%
200298%100%
2003100%100%
2004100%100%
200599%100%
200699%100%
200799%100%
2008100%100%
2009100%100%
201099%100%
2011100%100%
2012100%100%
2013100%100%
201498%100%
2015100%100%
2016100%100%
201783%94%
201880%88%
201978%89%
202079%83%
2021––
202273%82%
202370%78%
202469%69%
202561%69%
202659%63%
  • 2017: Record change
Before 2017, 22–58 invitees a year have a 40 and no other drill (664 in all). After 2016, 3–24. That points to 40s filled in from outside the combine, so read the pre-2017 share as a record change.

The file has a 40 for 331 of 332 2016 invitees, then 83% in 2017. Players did not change that fast. Before 2017 the file seems to fill in times for players who skipped the combine run.

Since 2017 the drop is real behaviour. 69% of 2024 invitees ran, and 59% in 2026. Among cornerbacks the share fell from 88% in 2017–20 to 74% in 2022–25.

Do the slow ones skip?

Cornerbacks who skipped the combine 40, by draft round

2017–2026, 2021 excluded

Drafted cornerbacks skipped at similar rates in every round (15%–18%); undrafted ones skipped 31% of the time.

Rounds 1-2n 78
18%
Rounds 3-4n 72
15%
Rounds 5-7n 80
15%
Undraftedn 99
31%
n 329 cornerbacks, 68 skipped. Draft round from the nflverse combine and draft files.

Top picks skip too. Travis Hunter (2025), Derek Stingley (2022) and Devon Witherspoon (2023) were first-round cornerbacks with no combine 40. Skippers weighed the same as runners (191.7 vs 192.3 lb), but fewer were drafted (54% vs 74%).

Undrafted players skip most. They also run slowest (4.53s for those who ran, against 4.45s in rounds 1–2). So selection pushes the mean the right way, but how much?

Adjusting for who ran

Cornerback 40, raw and adjusted for who ran

Seconds, 2000–2026

Show data
Reweighting to a fixed draft-round mix, or filling in skippers from same-round peers, leaves the 2022 step in place at about 0.04s.
YearRaw meanFixed draft mixRounds 1–3 only
20004.52 s4.53 s4.51 s
20014.55 s4.55 s4.48 s
20024.52 s4.51 s4.45 s
20034.48 s4.49 s4.45 s
20044.48 s4.49 s4.46 s
20054.44 s4.45 s4.40 s
20064.49 s4.49 s4.41 s
20074.48 s4.47 s4.40 s
20084.45 s4.45 s4.43 s
20094.49 s4.49 s4.46 s
20104.49 s4.50 s4.46 s
20114.48 s4.50 s4.43 s
20124.50 s4.50 s4.43 s
20134.49 s4.49 s4.46 s
20144.51 s4.52 s4.46 s
20154.51 s4.51 s4.47 s
20164.50 s4.50 s4.47 s
20174.49 s4.50 s4.46 s
20184.50 s4.49 s4.48 s
20194.51 s4.50 s4.48 s
20204.50 s4.50 s4.49 s
2021–––
20224.45 s4.45 s4.44 s
20234.46 s4.47 s4.43 s
20244.46 s4.46 s4.43 s
20254.44 s4.45 s4.39 s
20264.45 s4.45 s4.43 s
  • 2022: Step survives
Fixed mix = each year reweighted to the 2017–26 mix of all cornerback invitees by round group. Filled in = skippers given the mean of that year’s runners in their round group, adjusted for weight. Rounds 1–3 = drafted cornerbacks who ran.

Holding the draft mix fixed, cornerbacks averaged 4.498 in 2017–20 and 4.458 in 2022–25. Filling in skippers gives 4.500 and 4.458. Rounds 1–3 alone went from 4.475 to 4.421.

How slow would skippers have to be to erase the drop? The skip rate rose 14 points. To cancel 0.04s, every skipper would need to be about 0.28s slower than runners from the same round. That is more than three times the gap between runners from rounds 1–2 and undrafted runners (0.09s).

Every position dropped at once

Mean combine 40 by position, change from each group’s 2017–20 mean

Seconds; below zero = faster. 2010–2026, 2021 left out

Show data
Every position group ran 0.04–0.09s faster in 2022–26 than in 2017–20, most of them stepping down from 2022 on.
YearCornerbacksWide receiversRunning backsSafetiesLinebackersEdge rushers (DE)Offensive linemen
20100.00 s0.00 s−0.03 s0.01 s0.07 s0.10 s0.01 s
2011−0.02 s−0.02 s−0.03 s0.04 s0.03 s0.07 s0.05 s
20120.01 s−0.04 s−0.06 s0.01 s0.00 s0.04 s0.02 s
2013−0.01 s−0.01 s0.02 s0.05 s0.06 s0.06 s0.00 s
20140.02 s0.00 s0.01 s0.03 s0.07 s0.10 s0.00 s
20150.01 s−0.01 s0.04 s0.06 s0.07 s0.06 s0.05 s
20160.00 s0.03 s−0.04 s0.05 s0.06 s0.13 s0.01 s
2017−0.01 s0.01 s−0.01 s−0.01 s0.04 s0.04 s0.06 s
20180.00 s0.01 s0.02 s−0.01 s−0.01 s0.02 s0.04 s
20190.01 s−0.02 s0.00 s0.01 s−0.03 s−0.06 s−0.07 s
20200.00 s0.00 s−0.01 s0.02 s0.00 s–−0.03 s
2021–––––––
2022−0.05 s−0.03 s−0.07 s−0.09 s−0.05 s−0.06 s−0.09 s
2023−0.04 s−0.02 s−0.06 s–−0.12 s−0.10 s−0.04 s
2024−0.04 s−0.07 s−0.05 s0.00 s−0.05 s−0.07 s−0.07 s
2025−0.06 s−0.05 s−0.08 s−0.06 s−0.07 s−0.07 s−0.10 s
2026−0.05 s−0.08 s−0.12 s−0.11 s−0.12 s−0.06 s−0.13 s
All invitees who ran, by combine position (DE counted as edge rushers). Each panel is its own group’s mean minus that group’s 2017–20 mean. No 2020 edge-rusher point: that year’s file labels them DL. No 2023 safety point: that year labels safeties DB. Labels also change in other years (EDGE from 2018, LB and DL in 2019–20, SAF from 2024), so the linebacker and edge lines mix groups.

This is the twist. Wide receivers, running backs, safeties, linebackers, edge rushers and offensive linemen all got faster too. Linemen dropped by 0.09s. For most groups the step lands in 2022; edge rushers and linemen were already a little quicker in 2019. The combine's position labels change over these years, which blurs the linebacker and edge lines, so lean on receivers, backs, linemen and cornerbacks. A check that ignores labels agrees: within every 20-lb weight bin, invitees ran 0.04–0.08s faster in 2022–26 than in 2017–20.

We ran the skip adjustment for cornerbacks only. Across all invitees, the share who ran fell from 83% in 2017 to 59% in 2026. So part of the other positions' drops could be skipping too. A drop this broad could also come from shared conditions, such as the track, timing or schedule. The cause is unknown, and we have not found a published reason.

How we measured

  • Cornerbacks are combine position CB, plus "DB" rows the draft file lists as CB. The file labels some safeties "DB" (all of 2023's), so 80 undrafted or safety DB rows are left out.
  • 2021 is excluded. The combine was cancelled; that year’s rows are pro-day results.
  • No years before 2000. The nflverse combine file starts in 2000.
  • Pre-2017 times are mixed. Before 2017 the file likely fills in some 40s from outside the combine (for example Reggie Bush, 2006).
  • Only combine numbers. From 2017 on, a player who skipped the combine 40 has no time in the file.

Show the work

Tests written down
Not in advance (exploratory)
Results computed

nflverse combine file, 2000–2026 (2021 excluded: no combine), 885 cornerbacks, 817 with a 40. Selection tests use 2017–2026, when the file records skippers (329 cornerbacks). Descriptive history; no holdout because nothing is being predicted.

Every test we graded
TestResultVerdict
CB mean 4.519 in 2000; 4.44–4.51 in 2005–20214.519; 2005–2020 range 4.44–4.51Held
Share who ran fell from ~99% to 69% (2024)100% (2016) to 69% (2024)Held, but pre-2017 is a record change
The recent dip is slower players skippingMix-adjusted drop 0.04s; skippers would need to be 0.28s slower than same-round runnersNo
Skippers are later picks or heavierDrafted 54% vs 74%; 191.7 vs 192.3 lbPartly: more undrafted, same weight
NFL.com: averages "steadily dropped"CB 2000–20 flat near 4.50, then 4.45 from 2022 (their claim covers all positions; we tested CBs)No for CBs: one step, not steady
The league-wide drop is a position-label artifactEvery 20-lb weight bin 0.04–0.08s faster, all inviteesNo
The 2022 step is cornerback-specificEvery group 0.04–0.09s fasterNo: league-wide (skip adjustment run for CBs only)

Frequently asked questions

What is the average 40 time for an NFL combine cornerback?

About 4.45 seconds since 2022, among cornerbacks who ran. From 2000 to 2020 it was about 4.50. NFL.com puts its long-run cornerback average at 4.50.

Are NFL players getting faster?

At the combine, yes, but in one step. Every position ran 0.04–0.09s faster in 2022–26 than in 2017–20, after about 20 flat years for cornerbacks.

Why do players skip the 40 at the combine?

Some top prospects rely on a pro day instead, and undrafted hopefuls skip most often (31% of undrafted cornerbacks since 2017). Skipping does not explain the faster times.

Who has the fastest cornerback 40 time at the combine?

In the nflverse file since 2000, Kalon Barnes at 4.23 seconds in 2022, then Tariq Woolen and DJ Turner at 4.26.

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Sources and method

  1. nflverse play-by-play, rosters, combine and schedules (CC-BY 4.0)
  2. NFL.com: average 40-yard dash times by position

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