Average 40-yard dash time: high school, college and NFL
High school combine athletes average 5.3 s, NCAA Division I players in one timed study averaged 5.12 s, and NFL Combine averages run from 4.52 s (wide receivers) to 5.26 s (offensive linemen). These are all electronic times.
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Published 40-yard norms cover male football players only.
Average 40-yard dash by level
| Group | Average | Who was timed |
|---|---|---|
| High school | 5.3 ± 0.4 | About 7,000 players, mostly freshmen to juniors, at U.S. recruiting combines in 2015–16; laser timing gates |
| College (NCAA D1) | 5.12 ± 0.35 | 81 Division I players, all positions, touch-pad start and infrared finish |
| NFL Combine | 4.52–5.26 | Position-group averages, wide receivers fastest, offensive linemen slowest |
NFL Combine 40 times by position
Averages and the fastest time on record for each position group in the NFL's official Combine database (2003 onward).
| Position | Average | Fastest |
|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 4.52 | 4.21 Xavier Worthy |
| Defensive backs | 4.53 | 4.23 Kalon Barnes |
| Running backs | 4.59 | 4.24 Chris Johnson |
| Linebackers | 4.71 | 4.38 Shaquem Griffin |
| Tight ends | 4.76 | 4.40 Vernon Davis / Dorin Dickerson |
| Quarterbacks | 4.82 | 4.35 Reggie McNeal |
| Defensive line | 4.94 | 4.36 Amaré Barno |
| Offensive line | 5.26 | 4.71 Terron Armstead |
40-yard dash times by age
Openly available 40-yard data is organized by level of play. The closest thing to an age norm is the high school combine sample: players mostly in grades 9 to 11, roughly ages 14 to 17. The study reports a mean of 5.3 s and a standard deviation of 0.4 s. Assuming a normal distribution, those two published numbers give the estimated cutoffs below.
| Percentile | Estimated 40 time |
|---|---|
| Fastest 10% | 4.79 |
| Fastest 25% | 5.03 |
| Median | 5.30 |
| Slowest 25% from | 5.57 |
Grade-by-grade norms from the same combine data have been published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, but the tables are not openly available, so we have not reproduced them. For younger athletes, the 100m page has sprint times by age.
Hand-timed vs electronic 40s
When researchers timed 81 Division I players both ways, experienced stopwatch timers recorded times 0.22 s faster than the electronic system and novices 0.26 s faster. The same study put the smallest meaningful change at 0.12 s for electronic timing and 0.14 s for hand timing, so a 0.05 s improvement on a stopwatch is within the noise. The rater above adds 0.24 s to hand times.
To see what your 40 means over a track race, try the speed comparisons or rate a 100m time.
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- Gillen 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 12(6), 2019 (Table 1)
- McKay BD, et al. Normative reference values for high school-aged American football players. J Strength Cond Res 34(10), 2020
- Mann JB, Ivey PJ, Brechue WF, Mayhew JL. Validity and reliability of hand and electronic timing for 40-yd sprint in college football players. J Strength Cond Res 29(6), 2015
- NFL.com, 2026 NFL Combine: best and average 40-yard dash times by position (official combine database, 2003 onward)