Unsurprisingly, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is exactly as advertised. He didn't record the fastest time in the 40-yard dash, but he ran a 4.4 which was good for second-fastest. For comparison, the NFL did its fun 'simulcast' comparison on Barkley, which showed him running alongside Saints' Alvin Kamara, Jags' Leonard Fournette and Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliot. He beat all of them. With a 41" vertical and ability to bench press more than his own weight 29 times, it's safe to say Barkley is who we thought he was.
As for the back that ran the fastest 40-yard dash – that would be North Carolina State's Nyheim Hines. Although his teammate Bradley Chubb seems to be garnering the spotlight for the Wolfpack, Hines looks to be aiming to change that with a strong combine performance. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, had a 35.5-inch vertical and a 119-inch broad jump.
Both running backs from Georgia had a solid showing in the 40-yard dash, as well. Nick Chubb ran a 4.52 and Sony Michel wasn't far behind, running a 4.54. LSU's Derrius Guice ran a 4.49.
A couple surprises ended up being Arizona State's Kalen Ballage who ran a 4.46, good for third-fastest behind Barkley, with a 122-inch broad jump. San Diego State's Rashad Penny also nabbed the third-fastest 40 time, clocking in at 4.46 along with Ballage.
Auburn's Kerryon Johnson, touted as a top-three running back in the draft, did not run the 40-yard dash, but participated in other drills including the vertical jump (40.0 inches) and the broad jump (126.0 inches).
