I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the top 10 fastest NFL players who ever took part in a Super Bowl. With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, I had some fun creating this list. Feel free to place your comments and thoughts below.
10. Devin Hester (Chicago Bears, SB XLI)
If you have to punt to the Chicago Bears, teams are figuring out quickly to just punt it out of bounds rather than punt to Devin Hester. In his short playing career already he has tied or surpassed the league record for punt and kick return touchdowns. If he gets out in the open, he is gone. You think some unathletic kicker is going to catch this guy.
9. Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh Steelers, SB XLV)
Mike Wallace has quickly been dubbed, rightfully so, one of the top five fastest guys in the league currently. At his combine, he ran a 4.33 in the 40. Teams are constantly worried about this deep threat and his yard per catch average is incredible. Unfortunately, his team lost that year to the Packers.
8. Renaldo Nehemiah (San Francisco 49ers, SB XIX)
This guy was a true track guy trying to play football and was a failed experiment by 49er coach, Bill Walsh. He was a stud hurdler who held the world record in the 110M high hurdles. Even though he was on the team for this Super Bowl, he really didn’t do much.
7. Cliff Branch (Oakland/LA Raiders, SB XI, XV, XVIII)
This hall of fame wide receiver was around before they even did combines, but opposing defenses knew of this guy’s speed. If he played nowadays, there is no doubt he would be in the top 5 of all the receiving categories. He was a three time Super Bowl champ.
6. Paul Warfield (Miami Dolphins, SB VII,VIII)
The only pro football hall of famer that I knew. His son went to high school with me and I got to see a lot of his accolades at his house. He was a track stud and football player at Ohio State University before moving on to the pros. He was known for his speed and jumping ability. He was part of the back to back super bowl victories for the Dolphins and the last undefeated NFL team.
5. Randy Moss (New England Patriots, SB XLII)
Most experts think this guy could have played on the second team ever to go undefeated for a whole season, but they blew it against the Giants in the Super Bowl. Once clocked at a 4.25 in the 40 this guy’s speed was freakish. Combine that with his vertical, body control, and great hands, maybe he should have been the best there ever was at that position.
4. Deion Sanders (San Francisco 49ers/Dallas Cowboys, SB XXVIII, XXIX)
The only reason I have him here is the other three candidates had real strong track backgrounds. Deion set a then NFL Combine record of 4.21 seconds in the 40. His speed and shut down ability was the single best defensive weapon in football in his prime. Who doesn’t love saying, “Primetime.” How would you like to hear Deion say, “I got this half of the field, you other 10 guys take the rest.”
3. Willie Gault (Chicago Bears, SB XX)
He was on arguably the best team in NFL history. He was a speedster way before a Super Bowl champ. He was part of a world record-setting 4x100M relay team, a hurdler, and was on the 1980 Olympic team that was held back because of the Olympic Boycott. Speed kills and he had plenty of it. To this day, he continues to run in Masters Track events setting world records in each age division he is in as he gets older.
2. Darrell Green (Washington Redskins, SB XXII, XXVI)
This hall of famer was dubbed “the fastest man in the NFL” when they actually televised a race for this thing. His speed helped him become one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He was an All-American in track when he was in college and at the age of 50 made the news for running a 4.43 in the 40. Really??!!
1. Bob Hayes (Dallas Cowboys, SB V, VI)
I’ll really test my readers with their age if they know who Bob Hayes is. I’m a Cowboys fan and was too young to remember him, but he was something. An Olympic sprinter, who in the 1964 Olympics set World Records in the 100M and 4x100M relay. When he was drafted by the Cowboys, he immediately impacted a change in the NFL. He created a downfield threat that caused defenses to start playing a bump and run and zone coverage. Hayes held numerous receiving and punt return records for the Cowboys by the time he called it quits.
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