The Wide World of Dirt

Bo Jackson steamrolled through the SEC in the mid-1980s, meeting opponents on the gridiron with an outstanding combination of speed, acceleration, and power.

After Jackson’s senior year which yielded Auburn’s first Heisman Trophy, Bo threw his name into the 1986 NFL Draft.

In preparation for that draft, Bo allegedly laid down an unprecedented 4.12 at what was essentially Auburn’s pro day as the back declined an invite to the combine.

Jackson put the world on notice with his world-class speed that day (as if he hadn’t already), locking him in as the No. 1 pick in the 1986 NFL Draft to Tampa Bay.

If you don’t know about Bo, I’d encourage you to look him up. He might be the most talented NFL runningback to ever exist. That’s not hyperbole.

Remember what I told y’all when I introduced this series: this is explicitly the fastest 40-yard dash times at the NFL Scouting Combine.

So, let’s take a look at the five fastest runningbacks to grace the combine.

1. Chris Johnson – 4.24

The 2008 NFL Draft hosted at least 10 runningbacks that earned at least one (1) 1000-yard season in their pro career, including East Carolina’s Chris Johnson.

The former Pirate became the NFL’s “official” new fastest man when he clocked in a 4.24 40-yard dash time at the 2008 combine.

Johnson showed a lot of upside during his time with ECU, but his stats at a mid-major tempered his draft stock a bit compared to more established players like Arkansas’ Darren McFadden and Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall.

While McFadden and Mendenhall made more money in the short term by virtue of getting drafted sooner, Johnson made his mark in the history books with the Titans.

Tennessee drafted the quick back to split carries with former USC back LenDale White in his rookie season, though that didn’t hinder his output.

After gaining close to 1500 all-purpose yards and landing on the PFWA all-rookie team for 2008, Chris Johnson earned a new nickname in 2009.

White took a backseat while Johnson carved through defenses, becoming the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2000 yards in a single season.

CJ2K tacked on an additional 500 yards receiving to set the new single-season record for all-purpose yards for any player in NFL history.

The virtuosic performance of 2009 was a hard act to follow, and while Johnson remained a steady force in the running game, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to replicate that magical season.

Johnson rushed for 1000 yards in all six of his seasons in Nashville, but due to inconsistent QB play and other issues, the Titans were unable to take advantage of CJ2K’s unique skill set and let him walk in free agency after 2013.

The next four seasons were riddled with injury as Johnson’s body started to show the wear and tear from years of carrying the Titans’ offense.

A lackluster season in New York where Johnson only started six games led to his release after just one season before signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals.

2015 showed the last flashes the ECU product had left in the tank, rushing for over 800 yards on less than 200 carries (in just 11 games!) as Johnson helped guide Arizona to the NFC Championship Game where they fell to the Panthers.

The Cardinals’ front office re-signed the back the following two seasons, but after only playing eight games over 2016 and 2017, Johnson got his walking papers again halfway through 2017, never to be picked up by another squad.

2. Dri Archer – 4.26

Before hitting the 2014 NFL Combine as one of the quickest players on the planet, Archer’s career got off the ground with the Kent State Golden Flashes.

Two solid seasons as a developing gadget player helped refine Archer’s game before his third season.

Archer lit the college football world on fire at all phases of the game, gaining 1400 yards and 16 TDs on the ground while adding 500 more receiving yards and 4 TDs.

Dri became even more notable as a return specialist. In his breakout 2012 season, he averaged an unreal 37 yards per kick return and took three back to the house.

Had Archer left Kent State after his 2012 season, the consensus All-American might’ve had better pro prospects, but he returned for his final year in 2013 where he missed a few games while putting up similar averages.

Leaving Kent State with a degree in hand, Pittsburgh made Archer a Steeler with the 97th overall pick in the third round.

In two years with the team, Archer saw limited game reps, only touching the ball 17 times and getting the chance to take the occasional kickoff.

Not getting the return on their third-round investment, the Steelers waived him in early November 2015, and it wasn’t until the Jets hit his line the following February before he landed with another organization.

That didn’t last long either as New York sent him packing in May of the same year without ever playing a down for them.

The Bills claimed the former Golden Flash off waivers, but Archer failed to report to the team and was subsequently released.

Now it looks as if Dri Archer is spending a lot of time coaching youth football, giving back to the game that made him a human highlight reel.

3. Keith Marshall – 4.31

The son of former JMU rushing leader Warren Marshall, Keith Marshall made his name known at the high school level, bringing home North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2011 for his senior season at Millbrook High in Raleigh.

Rather than stay in Raleigh or follow in his father’s footsteps by going to JMU, Marshall and fellow North Carolinian Todd Gurley committed to the University of Georgia to take on the talents of the SEC together.

Committing to UGA with his friend benefitted Gurley immensely, propelling him to a top-10 selection in the 2015 NFL Draft and netting him over 50mil in career earnings.

The same cannot be said for Marshall.

Marshall showed flashes of elite talent, rushing for 100 yards twice as a Bulldog, but being stuck behind Gurley and others in the backfield limited his playing time.

Marshall left the program for the professional level in 2016, entering the draft where he laid down a rapid 4.31 40-time that slotted him third in the combine’s history, a place his time still stands today.

Keith’s monumental 40-time and great NFL size got him noticed by several teams, leading to the Washington Commanders taking a flyer on him in the seventh round.

Sadly, Marshall was placed on injured reserve prior to the 2016 regular season, and a patellar tendon tear in training camp the following year resulted in Washington cutting their young runningback.

Keith Marshall never took an NFL snap, but he will live on in the lore of the NFL Draft forever. He co-founded the Players’ Lounge, which he currently helps operate.

4. Darren McFadden – 4.33

Much like the first entry in this list, Darren McFadden was selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the fourth overall pick by the Raiders.

McFadden launched his storied collegiate career with the Arkansas Razorbacks as a true freshman, running for 1100 yards and 11 touchdowns in the SEC West.

The young back from Little Rock charged into his sophomore year with a more refined game, setting the Razorbacks’ record for rushing yards with 1647.

Darren’s season-long stomping of SEC powerhouses earned him a ticket to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. It was a bittersweet trip as he was snubbed of the highest amateur honor in favor of Ohio State’s Troy Smith.

McFadden’s 2006 season was truly magical, but it pales in comparison to 2007. The junior back annihilated elite SEC competition weekly, even tying the SEC single-game rushing record against Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks.

Another flight to New York was booked for mid-December, but even after knocking off No.1 LSU and rushing for a new school-record 1829 yards, his efforts were still not enough to earn college football’s highest honor, losing out to Tim Tebow.

McFadden looked to cash in on his efforts by skipping his senior season at Arkansas to enter the 2008 NFL Draft.

His combine showing was just as impressive as his college tape would lead scouts to believe, going to the lowly Raiders in April.

McFadden got paid immediately. After rookie QB Jamarcus Russell held out the previous year, the Raiders wanted their star rookie in their preseason program.

His early career in Oakland saw his availability hindered by injuries, and the inconsistent playing time (combined with a lackluster Raiders roster) led to a mediocre first two seasons.

McFadden missed three games in 2010, but for the first time in his career, he started more than 1o games. The increased workload led to elite production from the third-year back, averaging 5.2 yards per carry on his way to 1157 rushing yards and 7 TDs.

He also set career-highs in the passing game, catching 47 passes for 507 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns.

Darren looked to continue his success in 2011, but the injury bug bit him once again, limiting him to just seven games played.

Those seven games certainly left a great impression as McFadden averaged 5.4 yards per carry while rushing for over 600 yards.

In his remaining three seasons in Oakland, the back known as Run-DMC continued to fight back injuries to fight for more playing time. The result was more diminished production in both quantity and quality.

McFadden never averaged more than 3.4 yards per carry in Oakland. Thus, the Raiders let their 2008 first-round pick walk out the door at the end of 2014.

The Dallas Cowboys would house McFadden for the next three seasons, and the 2015 season saw the 28-year-old back return to his elusive ways.

Despite being the leading rusher on a team with a 4-12 record, McFadden gave the offense a spark, rushing for nearly 1100 yards and tacking on nearly 400 more through the air.

McFadden’s 2015 heroics were soon cast aside in favor of another fourth overall pick at runningback, Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott.

One of the greatest players in Arkansas football history, McFadden retired in 2017 after modest success at the NFL level.

5. Onterio McCalebb – 4.34

Onterio McCalebb played his first game at Auburn in the summer of 2009 against Louisiana Tech where he became the second freshman in school history to rush for over 100 yards in their first game (Remember that Bo Jackson guy?)

A promising start to Onterio’s college career was lost due to injuries, but he still managed to rush for 565 yards and four touchdowns.

McCalebb returned for his sophomore season with a clean bill of health. With the additions of quarterback Cam Newton and runningback Michael Dyer, the speedy back became a lethal third option out of the backfield.

Though this limited just over 100 total touches on the season, Onterio made the most out of every single one, averaging nine yards per play.

McCalebb, Newton, and Dyer made it all the way to the BCS Championship game where they closed out Oregon 22-19.

The former four-star commit stayed at Auburn for all four years, but he never became the elite, game-changing talent his high school career projected.

Even still, McCalebb maintained his reputation as an effective gadget player that improved his receiving skills in his final two seasons, catching 50 passes for 476 yards and 2 TDs.

As soon as his senior season ended in 2012, McCalebb submitted his name into the NFL Draft pool where he received an invitation to the scouting combine.

His draft stock improved mightily with his 40 time being so low but not enough to get his name called. Immediately after the draft Onterio signed with the Cincinnati Bengals where he would make the switch to cornerback.

Having little experience at the position, McCalebb only appeared in one game during his NFL career before being cut by the Bengals before the 2015 season.

Onterio’s pro career ended the following spring when the Ottawa RedBlacks of the CFL signed him to a contract and cut him less than a month later.

Conclusion

Only two of the backs in the top-5 40-yard-dash times ended up having any sort of notoriety at the pro level, and both were selected in the first round of the 2008 draft.

McFadden’s moderate success and Johnson’s game-breaking talent might make it out like fast backs have a serious chance in the NFL, but the presence of the other three almost makes me feel the opposite.

Bo Jackson’s NFL career got shortened due to a peculiar leg injury that failed to be properly treated, so even he isn’t bucking the trend.

The NFL’s all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith laid down a pedestrian 4.55 time at the 1990 NFL Scouting Combine. Frank Gore (third all-time) clocked a 4.58 in 2005,

Other backs have used their immense acceleration to their advantage with notable examples being Adrian Peterson (4.40), LaDainian Tomlinson (4.41), and Marshall Faulk (4.35).

That said, speed is far from a necessity at the runningback position in the NFL today.

Last year’s rushing leader Josh Jacobs only put in a mid-4.6 time at his Pro Day, and Chris Johnson’s successor in Tennessee, Derrick Henry, finished the combine with a 4.54 before the 2016 NFL Draft.

In fact, only one of last year’s top-10 producing backs set a time lower than 4.45 at the combine: Penn State’s Saquon Barkley.

Because runningback talent is more predicated on scheme fit in today’s NFL, the position as a whole has gone undervalued for the better part of the last decade.

The last two runningbacks to receive large extensions were Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley, and after some injury-riddled seasons, both got cut by the teams who gave them those extensions.

I don’t think it’s fair, and it would be awesome if the NFL took pride in the runningback again. The runningback position has generated many enduring highlights for the league, and some of my favorite players were backs.

Two of the best rookie backs from last year’s class, Breece Hall and Isiah Pacheco, dropped sub 4.4 40 times in the combine, but they went at opposite ends of the draft with Hall being the first back selected at 36 and Pacheco at 251.

This year’s draft features many speedy players trying out at runningback with Texas A&M’s Devon Achane officially moving McCalebb out of the top-5 with his blistering 4.32 40 set in Indianapolis this winter.

Five other back prospects ran below a 4.5, including Texas’ Bijan Robinson (4.46) and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs (4,36).

Even then, UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet ran a mild 4,54 while Robinson’s Longhorn teammate, Roschon Johnson skated just under the 4.6 mark.

As I said before, there’s no clear link between overt speed and success at the NFL level, and of the positions I’ve looked at so far, this is the clearest example to back up the hypothesis behind the project.

Later this week, I will follow up this piece with the wonderful world of wide receivers!