In recent years, the NFL‘s rule changes have made it easier for players with speed and agility to thrive. Smaller players who may have been pulverized in previous NFL eras can now make an impact in the modern NFL using their quickness and explosiveness.
Entering the 2024 season, who are the fastest players in the NFL? Let’s rank the quickest players in the league based on top game speeds, athletic testing, and game film.
Who Is the Fastest NFL Player?
1) Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Tyreek Hill is the fastest player in the NFL, and he plays on the league’s fastest team, the Miami Dolphins. Miami is obsessed with speed, which is a major reason why they pulled off their blockbuster trade for Hill in 2022. While he “only” ran a 4.29-second 40-yard dash prior to entering the league, Hill’s game speed is significantly faster.
As a rookie in 2016, Hill posted the fastest speed in the NFL’s Next Gen Stats database, reaching 23.24 miles per hour on a kick return. In 2023, he posted the third-, seventh-, and ninth-fastest times of any player in the NFL, eclipsing 21.5 miles per hour on four different occasions.
Hill’s speed makes him a perfect fit for Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme. His peers clearly believe he’s difficult to stop, as they named him the No. 1 player in the NFL’s Top 100 over the offseason.
Last season, Hill led the NFL in receiving yards (1,799) and finished second in receptions (119) while running just the 46th-most routes among wideouts. His efficiency was astounding, as his 3.85 yards per route run mark blew the modern record out of the water.
Fastest NFL Players | 2-10
2) Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Hill claims the top spot thanks to his long track record of game speed. However, there’s a real chance that Xavier Worthy might move to No. 1 on this list if he thrives during his rookie season with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
While everyone knew Worthy offered blazing speed thanks to his college game film, the Texas product turned heads during the pre-draft process by running the fastest 40-yard dash in NFL Combine history. His 4.21 40-yard dash beat the previous record (4.22) set by John Ross in 2017.
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While Ross failed to live up to expectations after entering the NFL, that doesn’t mean Worthy will disappoint too. After all, he has Mahomes throwing him the ball and head coach Andy Reid designing plays to take advantage of his speed. He’s entering the perfect situation, so don’t be surprised if Worthy contends for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
3) De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
McDaniel and Dolphins general manager Chris Grier put all their chips on speed, and it seems to be working incredibly well. Miami’s offense is beyond potent, and De’Von Achane’s efficiency is otherworldly.
Despite dealing with injuries throughout his 2023 rookie season, Achane lapped the rest of the league with 7.8 yards per attempt. No other player with at least 100 rushing attempts finished with more than 5.5 yards per carry.
The Texas A&M product also posted two of the top six speeds for a ball carrier in 2023. He ran an official 4.32 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine while also achieving a 10.14-second 100-meter dash and a 20.2 200-meter dash in college.
4) Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
Yes, a third Miami Dolphin on this list. In 2020, Raheem Mostert held the top two spots in Next Gen Stats’ speed clocking, running 23.09 miles per hour in Week 2 after hitting 22.73 miles per hour the week before. Both plays resulted in touchdowns of 75+ yards.
Mostert bounced around from team to team for his first two NFL seasons before finding a home with Kyle Shanahan’s wide-zone rushing attack. Although he couldn’t stay healthy for the San Francisco 49ers, he never once averaged fewer than five yards per carry.
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Now, age is the only thing keeping Mostert from placing a spot higher on the list. At 31 years old, there’s a good chance he has lost some horsepower since 2020. However, Mostert has pointed to his limited wear and tear from his early NFL seasons as a big reason why he’s still able to produce into his 30s.
In Week 2 of last season, Mostert managed a top speed of 21.62 mph on a 43-yard rushing touchdown. In 2023, Mostert also earned his first Pro Bowl nod after rushing for 1,012 yards and totaling 21 touchdowns, which tied for the league lead.
5) DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf is just unfair. He ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at 230 pounds, which is just flat out absurd. It’s incomprehensible that he managed a 1.45-second 10-yard split, tied for the seventh-best mark in NFL Combine history.
In 2021, he famously chased down Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker to prevent a pick-six after an interception, and he reached 22.64 miles per hour on that play. Last year, he hit 22.23 miles per hour on a 73-yard touchdown catch, the fastest speed in the NFL in 2023.
6) KaVontae Turpin, WR, Dallas Cowboys
KaVontae Turpin’s blazing speed helped him win the USFL’s MVP award for the 2022 campaign and make his way to the NFL as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. While he’s primarily used as a kick returner for Dallas, Turpin also gets some touches at wide receiver.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14 of last season, Turpin received a handoff from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and took it for a 22-yard gain, posting the league’s fifth-highest speed (21.91 miles per hour) of the year in the process.
Listed at only 153 pounds, Turpin is built like a paper clip. But while that weight may present contact-balance issues or limit Turpin’s genuine receiving opportunities, he’s incredibly adept at avoiding significant hits on returns. Recently, Pro Football Network’s NFL staff voted Turpin the best kick returner in the NFL thanks in large part to his ridiculous speed.
7) Riq Woolen, CB, Seattle Seahawks
Length is a weapon for defensive backs, but too much length can make it nearly anatomically impossible to be an effective coverage defender at the NFL level.
However, Riq Woolen is an outlier. Athletically, he shouldn’t really exist. His 4.26 40-yard yard dash is tied for the fifth-fastest time ever at the NFL Combine, while his 40-yard interception got him into the top 10 fastest speeds of the 2022 NFL season.
8) DJ Turner II, CB, Cincinnati Bengals
DJ Turner II ran the NFL Combine’s fastest 40-yard dash in 2023, putting up a 4.26-second run that is now tied for fifth-fastest in league history. His speed and explosion helped the University of Michigan product climb into the second round of last year’s draft, where the Cincinnati Bengals selected him.
Turner will have to fend off fellow ex-Michigan DB Dax Hill for starting corner duties opposite Cam Taylor-Britt, and his speed and recovery ability will be a part of his CB2 argument.
9) Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
The fourth and final Dolphin on our list, Jaylen Waddle is the next-best version of Hill. While teams have consistently tried and failed to find the “next Tyreek Hill,” Waddle is at least similar in the way he moves.
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Many players are incredibly agile and fast with the ball in their hands, but they’re point guards. Waddle is like Steph Curry: It’s hard to stick to him whether he has the ball or is running routes because his fluidity and explosiveness are not one-dimensional.
10) Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase Brown only touched the ball 58 times during his 2023 rookie season, but he made the most of his limited opportunities.
Facing the Indianapolis Colts in Week 14, Brown took a screen pass from Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning and scampered for a 54-yard touchdown. He reached 22.05 miles per hour on the play, the second-fastest speed in the NFL last year.
Brown will have to compete for carries and catches with Cincinnati free agent addition Zack Moss in 2024, but he has the physical talent to succeed.
Honorable mention: Jets RB Breece Hall, Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, Commanders WR Terry McLaurin, Packers WR Christian Watson, Eagles WR Parris Campbell, Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton