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 2025 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 Are the Fastest NFL Players?
1) Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Xavier Worthy held the No. 2 spot on this list last offseason, but after an impressive rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs, he is currently holds the distinction of fastest player in the NFL.
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.
Here is field view of Xavier Worthy’s record setting historic 4.21-40. I tried to keep it together at the end. But had to stop drop and roll into my own 40 over to get him on-cam so please excuse the blur at the end!
🔥🚀🔥🚀🔥 pic.twitter.com/k63iICZLBP
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) March 3, 2024
As a rookie, his 40-yard dash translated to game speed and productivity, as he caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season. During Kansas City’s Super Bowl run, Worthy continued to produce, catching 19 of 21 targets for 287 yards and three touchdowns in three games.
Now, all eyes will be on Worthy as he enters his sophomore season and could be poised for a breakout campaign.
2) Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill is now 31 years old, but he’s still extremely fast. The Miami Dolphins are 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. Two seasons ago, 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.
INSANE: #DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER TYREEK HILL RECENTLY RUNNING 26 MILES PER HOUR ON THE TRACK.
😳😳😳
The fastest man to ever step on a football field.
pic.twitter.com/Gv4lBJAYe9— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 5, 2025
However, he failed to crack the top-20 fastest times last season, which could be an indicator that he is slightly slowing down at 31 years old. With that said, Hill did run a 10.15 100-meter dash at a track meet this summer, proving he still has something left in the tank.
While last season was a down year for Hill and the Dolphins’ offense as a whole (in large part due to Tua Tagovailoa’s absence), they will look to bounce back in a major way in 2025.
3) 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. Since joining the Cowboys, he has become an electric kick returner and offensive weapon.
Last season, Turpin reached the fastest speed of any player in the NFL, reaching 22.36 MPH on his 64-yard touchdown reception against the Houston Texans. In fact, it was the fast speed of any ball carrier since 2020. He also recorded the eighth-fastest and 15th-fastest speeds of the season.
64-yard house call 💨
📺: #HOUvsDAL on ESPN
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/86VgER4mlC— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 19, 2024
Turpin is listed at only 153 pounds, but he’s incredibly adept at avoiding significant hits on returns. The speedster is widely regarded as the best kick returner in the NFL, earning two Pro Bowl selections and an All-Pro nod in 2024. Last season, Turpin returned 27 kickoffs for 904 yards and a touchdown, while also returning 18 punts for 187 yards and a score. He also caught a career-high 31 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns.
4) De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier put all their chips on speed, and it’s a major reason why they drafted De’Von Achane in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Through his first two NFL seasons, Achane has rushed 306 times for 1,707 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He has also caught 105 passes for 789 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
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The Texas A&M product 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. In 2023, he posted two of the top six speeds for a ball carrier. While Achane failed to crack the top-10 list last season, his speed is obvious to anyone who has watched him play.
5) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
The 2024 season was Jahmyr Gibbs’ coming-out party, as he rushed for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 517 yards and four scores. Anytime he touched the ball, there was a chance he could take it to the house.
Last season, Gibbs recorded the third-fastest speed of any player in the NFL, reaching 22.03 MPH on his 70-yard touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. He also recorded the ninth-fastest speed of the season (21.8 MPH on a 54-yard reception).
At the 2023 NFL Combine, Gibbs ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds — the second-fastest time of any running back that year behind only Achane. Gibbs has become one of the best running backs in the NFL, and his speed and explosiveness are major reasons why.
6) Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley is coming off one of the best RB seasons in NFL history, as he nearly broke the single-season rushing record (despite sitting out the final game of the year) and helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory.
If there was any thought that Barkley may have lost a step now that he’s 28 years old, the superstar silenced any of those doubts in 2024. He rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 33 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns.
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.
Barkley also leads the NFL in explosive runs (10+ yards) in the second half of games this season (16).
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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 15, 2024
If you take a look at the Next Gen Stats list of the fastest ball carriers for the 2024 season, you’ll see Barkley’s name four times in the top 15. He reached the fourth-fastest speed (21.91 MPH) on a 55-yard run, and he also recorded the fifth-fastest speed, 12th-fastest speed, and 14th-fastest speed.
Barkley was the king of long touchdown runs last year, breaking the NFL record for the most 60+ yard touchdowns in a single season (including the playoffs) with seven. Barkley ran a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Combine, but he certainly seems like one of those players whose game speed is quicker than his testing indicates.