One of the most feared return men in all of football, Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman is well-known for his wheels, turning on the jets with this 63-yard touchdown gallop in 2019. The 23-year-old registered a top speed of 21.87 mph on that run, the seventh-fastest clip among NFL ball-carriers that season.
Hardman recently went head-to-head with three of the NFL’s fastest, racing Raiders burner Henry Ruggs, Vikings phenom Justin Jefferson and Devin White of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an event put on by Bounty paper towels. The four participants ran at separate locations across the country, seeing who could clock the fastest 40-yard dash.
Ruggs came in as the favorite—he submitted a blistering 4.27 at his NFL Combine last year—but Hardman outgunned him this time, crossing the line in 4.22. Ruggs finished a close second at 4.26, followed by White (4.37) and Jefferson (4.50). For context, the fastest Combine time in NFL history belongs to New York Giants receiver John Ross, who also checked in at 4.22.
White, who took his horse for a spin around Raymond James Stadium after the Bucs’ Super Bowl triumph in February, couldn’t keep up with Ruggs and Hardman, but blazing a 4.37 on pavement at 237 pounds is still mighty impressive.
We saw a similar event staged between NFL players in 2019 with Marquise Goodwin (a champion long jumper who previously competed in the London Olympics), Robby Anderson, Alvin Kamara, Donte Jackson and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie racing for a $1 million grand prize at the 40 Yards of Gold in South Florida.
Hardman was high man on the totem pole Thursday, but how would he have measured up against Ravens dual-threat Lamar Jackson, teammate Tyreek Hill (who some would argue is already the greatest deep threat the sport has ever seen) or D.K. Metcalf, who held his own earlier this month at the USATF Golden Games in California? Hopefully Bounty will get them on a field together soon so we can stop wondering.
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