In the NFL, it’s no secret that everyone is fast. Even the “slow” players are fast. NFL rosters are packed with the most elite talent in the world. So when a player is known for being exceptionally fast in the league, you know they’re a special talent.
From wide receivers blazing past cornerbacks to running backs who find the edge and never look back to defensive backs who can track down anyone, speed is a game-changing trait. It’s not just about straight-line velocity; these players combine their quickness with agility, vision and precision, making them some of the most dangerous athletes in professional sports.
So let’s take a look at 10 of the fastest NFL players in 2024.
The Speedsters of the NFL in 2024
The 40-yard dash, which is notably run by players at the NFL Scouting Combine, is a nice tool to assess a player’s speed. But it isn’t really a one-to-one translation on the field. Everything changes when the pads are on and the field is filled with 22 players.
So we’re not going to use that for the purposes of this breakdown.
Instead, we’re going to use the NFL’s Next Gen Stats to look at the fastest in-game runs in 2024.
How Speed Is Measured in the NFL
When the NFL introduced Next Gen Stats, the league was very serious about providing new, noteworthy and previously hard-to-capture data.
With massive leaps in technology, the NFL has implemented a complex system in each stadium. Developed in a partnership with Zebra Technologies and Wilson Sporting Goods, the NFL’s Next Gen Stats track player movement using 20-30 ultrawide band receivers, a minimum of two radio-frequency ID (RFID) tags per set of shoulder pads, as well as RFID tags on the ball, the chains, the pylons and the officials.
Approximately 250 devices are active in the stadium for every game, with a minimum of three operators tracking all the systems throughout the game.
Honorable Mentions: 2023’s Fastest NFL Players
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, whose nickname “Cheetah” is fitting, had the most appearances in the NFL’s 20 fastest speeds list from 2023. Hill’s top speed reached 22.23 mph in Week 13 on a 73-yard receiving touchdown. He also ranked in the top 20 four other instances last season. All four of those speeds topped 21.51 mph.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf stood atop the list from a season ago, reaching 22.36 mph on a 64-yard touchdown grab in Week 11. Metcalf recorded the fastest speed of any NFL player since 2020 and did so despite being listed at nearly 240 pounds on the Seattle roster.
Top 10 Fastest NFL Players This Season
The following is a breakdown of the 10 fastest players in the 2024 NFL season through Week 11. However, we have noted each player’s fastest play.
So for example, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has three of the 10 fastest recorded speeds in the NFL this season (21.93 mph in Week 7, 21.72 mph in Week 9 and 21.66 mph in Week 3), but because we’re focusing on fastest players, he won’t appear on the list three times. Instead, we’ll use his fastest recorded speed and rank that accordingly.
KaVontae Turpin: Big-Time Speed in Big D
A return specialist/wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, Turpin recorded the fastest speed of any player during the 2024 season. In Week 11, he caught a 64-yard touchdown pass, reaching 22.36 mph in the process.
Turpin had recorded just 17 catches going into that game, but with speed like that it seems like more looks are on the way for the former TCU Horned Frog.
🔥 Fastest ball carrier this season: KaVontae Turpin (22.36 mph)
— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2024
(via @NextGenStats) pic.twitter.com/MzTkeEHrpO
Saquon Barkley: NFL’s Most Dangerous Runner?
As previously mentioned, Barkley is consistently hitting at least 21 mph, which must be terrifying for defensive coordinators to think about. Among the 20 fastest ballcarriers this season, Barkley owns the Nos. 4, 5 and 10 spots.
Barkley did not make the list in 2023 but did appear on it in 2022. He had the 16th-fastest run of any player that season, clocking in at 21.31 mph on a 27-yard run. That play would also rank in the top 20 this season, but is significantly slower than his runs this year.
Saquon Barkley reached a top speed of 20.78 mph on his 23-yard TD run, his fifth run of the season over 20 mph, most in the NFL.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 15, 2024
Barkley also leads the NFL in explosive runs (10+ yards) in the second half of games this season (16).
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Derrick Henry: Age Is Just A Number
The oldest player on the list is Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry. Henry will turn 31 years old in January and is the active leader in rushing attempts.
But that does not appear to be slowing him down.
Henry has two of the 15 fastest recorded speeds this season. In Week 7, he topped out at 21.72 mph on an 81-yard run. In Week 5, Henry hit 21.46 mph on a 51-yard run. The four-time Pro Bowler is the heaviest player on the list at 247 pounds.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Who Are the 10 Fastest Players in the NFL This Season?.
