Will Jacoby Ford run the fastest combine 40 ever?
Two years ago, a relatively unknown running back from East Carolina forced scouts and personnel executives from around the NFL to double-check their stop watches when he ran a 4.24 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine.
That running back’s name was Chris Johnson.
And it’s relevant that you know this because Johnson’s record could fall this week when the 2010 combine gets underway in Indianapolis.
Bruce Feldman of ESPN Insider and ESPN the Magazine posted a great interview he recently had with Tony Villani, a trainer who founded XPE Sports in Boca Raton, Florida. Villani has been preparing several big-name prospects for the upcoming combine, including Cal running back Jahvid Best, Tennessee safety Eric Berry and Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford.
And Villani had some interesting things to say about Ford.
“With Jacoby we're going to break the NFL record for the combine. But to be the fastest guy ever, he's got to run 4.2s on lasers. We'll see if he can do it. He's running some times now where I think he could do it.”
Whether or not Ford—who was an All-American in track at Clemson—can break Johnson’s record remains to be seen.
But it will make this Sunday a lot more interesting. That’s the day wide receivers will be clocked in the 40 at the combine.
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If you subscribe to ESPN Insider, you can check out the rest of the interview HERE.
Here’s a reminder of what a 4.24 40-yard-dash looks like: