Average 40 Time by Position: NFL Combine Numbers

Updated October 7, 2026 · Fact checked October 7, 2026

Receivers and corners run the fastest 40s at the NFL Combine, offensive linemen the slowest, and everyone else falls in between. The exact average depends on whose numbers you use, so this page puts two sources side by side and says where each comes from.

The table below is from a 2023 research paper. The copy adds NFL.com's averages from the league's own combine database, explains why the positions spread out, and shows the 40 targets 440 uses for each plan, which are 440's own numbers rather than either source's.

40-yard dash: the published numbers

NFL Combine, 2000 to 2018, by position (average ± standard deviation)

Position	40-yard dash
Quarterback	4.82 ± 0.19 s
Running back	4.54 ± 0.10 s
Wide receiver	4.50 ± 0.10 s
Tight end	4.75 ± 0.15 s
Offensive line	5.24 ± 0.17 s
Defensive tackle	5.08 ± 0.15 s
Defensive end / edge rusher	4.81 ± 0.14 s
Linebacker	4.69 ± 0.12 s
Cornerback	4.48 ± 0.09 s
Safety	4.54 ± 0.09 s

Frank DJ, King MJ, Dennard CD, Macnamara BN. Discriminant Function Analysis Reveals Which Combination of Measures from the NFL Scouting Combine Predict NFL Performance. Journal of Expertise 2023;6(2):130-163, Table 4. The study's analysed samples were 117 to 462 players per position; it does not say whether these averages use that sample or every participant.

High school combine players, all positions: 40-yard dash 5.3 ± 0.4 sGillen ZM, Shoemaker ME, McKay BD, Cramer JT. State Population Influences Athletic Performance Combine Test Scores in High School-Aged American Football Players. Int J Exerc Sci 2019;12(6):256-262, Table 1 (raw values). Pooled across the paper's three groups.

440's 40 targets by plan

Plan	High school	College	Pro reference
Quarterback	5.13 s	4.93 s	4.85 s
Running Back	4.83 s	4.63 s	4.55 s
Wide Receiver	4.78 s	4.58 s	4.50 s
Tight End	5.00 s	4.80 s	4.72 s
Offensive Line	5.58 s	5.38 s	5.30 s
Defensive Line	5.23 s	5.03 s	4.95 s
Linebacker	4.98 s	4.78 s	4.70 s
Defensive Back	4.78 s	4.58 s	4.50 s
Kicker	5.23 s	5.03 s	4.95 s
Punter	5.23 s	5.03 s	4.95 s
Athlete	4.88 s	4.68 s	4.60 s

440 Football's own targets: a pro reference per position, plus 0.28 s for high school and 0.08 s for college.

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Two sources, two slightly different answers

NFL.com published its averages in February 2026, using the NFL's official database, which covers every participant who ran since 2003. The same article says average 40 times have steadily dropped over those 23 years, so an all-years average runs slower than a recent class.

The 2023 study (Frank and colleagues, Journal of Expertise) used combine results from 2000 to 2018. For its analysis it kept only players with a result in every drill it used for that position and pulled extreme values in to 2.99 standard deviations, but the paper does not say whether these averages use the analysed sample or every participant. Different years and different players give slightly different averages, usually a few hundredths apart.

The averages, position by position

NFL.com's averages since 2003, using the combine's own position groups: wide receivers 4.52 seconds, defensive backs 4.53, running backs 4.59, linebackers 4.71, tight ends 4.76, quarterbacks 4.82, defensive line 4.94 and offensive line 5.26.

NFL.com also split its two mixed groups by the position players went on to play as pros. Players who went pro as cornerbacks averaged 4.50 and safeties 4.57. On the defensive line, edge rushers and defensive ends averaged 4.83 and defensive tackles 5.11.

The 2023 study's averages for 2000 to 2018 use its own position groups and rank them in nearly the same order: corners 4.48, receivers 4.50, running backs and safeties 4.54, linebackers 4.69, tight ends 4.75, edge rushers 4.81, quarterbacks 4.82, defensive tackles 5.08 and offensive linemen 5.24. The biggest gap between the two sources is at running back: 4.54 in the study and 4.59 on NFL.com.

Why the positions spread out

Size tracks with speed in NFL.com's numbers. Over the last five years, it notes, defensive line prospects classed as ends weighed about 260 pounds and averaged 4.70, while tackles weighed about 308 and averaged 5.05. Even among receivers, nine of the 10 who ran under 4.3 weighed under 195 pounds.

The run itself differs by position too. A 2025 study of more than 2,000 combine players used each 40 and its splits to build a speed profile. Defensive backs and receivers had the highest top speed and acceleration, followed by linebackers, running backs, tight ends and quarterbacks, then defensive linemen, with offensive linemen lowest. Scouts also weigh the 40 differently by position. Gil Brandt wrote on NFL.com in 2011 that linemen rarely need to run 40 yards, so a lineman is not marked down for a slow 40 the way a cornerback is.

So compare yourself with your own position. A 4.9 is slow for a defensive back prospect and fast for an offensive lineman.

How 440 sets its targets

440's targets are its own numbers, not taken from either source. Each plan has a pro reference 40: 4.50 for receivers and defensive backs, 4.55 for running backs, 4.70 for linebackers, 4.72 for tight ends, 4.85 for quarterbacks, 4.95 for defensive linemen and 5.30 for offensive linemen. 440's target for a college player is that reference plus 0.08 seconds, and for a high school player plus 0.28; those offsets are 440's too. The full list is in the table above.

Where a source has a matching group, the references sit 0.00 to 0.06 seconds from its average (the study has no single defensive back or defensive line group). The tight end reference is faster than both sources, and the quarterback and offensive line references are slower. Kickers, punters and the athlete plan have no published average in either source, so 440's 4.95 for kickers and punters and 4.60 for athletes are its own estimates. To see where your 40 ranks against the published data, use the 40-yard dash calculator; the high school guide puts younger players' times in context.

FAQ

Which position has the fastest average 40 time?

Among the combine's own position groups, wide receivers, narrowly: NFL.com's averages since 2003 put receivers at 4.52 seconds and defensive backs at 4.53. Split out, corners are faster still: 4.50 on NFL.com for players who went pro as corners, and 4.48 in a study of 2000 to 2018, where receivers averaged 4.50.

What is the average 40 time for an offensive lineman?

About 5.25 seconds at the NFL Combine: 5.26 in NFL.com's averages since 2003 and 5.24 in a study of 2000 to 2018. Offensive linemen are the slowest group in both.

Why do different websites list different average 40 times?

They use different years and different players. NFL.com's averages cover every combine runner since 2003; the study in the table covers 2000 to 2018, and its averages may count only the players its analysis kept. NFL.com also says averages have dropped over time.

Are 440's targets the same as the combine averages?

No. 440 sets its own pro reference for each plan and adds 0.08 seconds for college and 0.28 for high school. They are 440's targets for its plans, not a published standard, though the pro references sit within 0.06 seconds of the matching published averages.

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Sources

Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.