Which NFL Wide Receiving Corps Are Fastest?

A player's 40-yard dash time is certainly not the only factor in determining how fast that player is. But how quickly a player runs it is certainly entertaining -- Twitter blew up when Jameis Winston had a rather dad-like 4.97 40 time, and everyone still talks about Chris Johnson's famous 4.24.

Because 40 times seem to matter more for some positions (wide receiver, for instance) than others, I started to wonder while watching the NFL Combine: Which wide receiving corps in today's NFL are fastest?

Now, when I asked that question to myself -- not out loud, of course -- I didn't expect a very scientific answer. Data collection, for example, isn't perfect when it comes to on-field performance like speed. But I did nerd it up and compile 40 times for all relevant receivers in the NFL, finding the average 40-yard dash time for each wide receiving corp in the league.

Before digging into the results, I need to make a few things clear so that I'm not hearing complaints in the comments section. First, it's very obvious that veteran receivers aren't as fast as they once were. Reggie Wayne isn't running a 4.45 40 anymore, guys. I know.

Second, I only included relevant receivers in the study -- guys who saw at least 5 to 10 receptions this year and played a relatively significant number of snaps per game. (See how I use words like "relatively"? That's how scientific this is.)

Finally, it's important to remember that not all players have accurate 40-yard dash times, or 40 times in general. Major players do, but smaller guys sometimes don't. Those players were omitted from the study.

The Top 10

Now that we're cool, let's start with the fastest 10 groups from 2014.

Really, these results aren't all that surprising. The Redskins are number one on the list thanks to having four receivers who ran the 40 under 4.50 seconds. The problem here is that one of those wideouts is Santana Moss, who's probably at the age where he needs yearly colonoscopies. But even when you eliminate Moss from the data set, Washington still ranks tied for first with Detroit.

Cleveland may be a surprise on this list, I suppose, but remember that speed doesn't equate to talent. Andrew Hawkins and Travis Benjamin both ran sub-4.40 40's, while the slowest receiver on the team was actually Josh Gordon, who reportedly ran his 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds.

The Bottom 10

Who are the slowest -- the dad runners -- groups in the NFL? Take a look below.

It shouldn't shock anyone to see the 49ers at the bottom of this list, as their most potent weapon athletically is a tight end that they failed to use last season. Otherwise, they have Anquan Boldin, who's known for using his size, not his speed, to separate from defenders, and Michael Crabtree, who entered the NFL with a 4.52 40-yard dash time. Veteran newcomer Stevie Johnson isn't much of a speedster either, clocking in with a 4.58 40.

New England isn't a surprise either, as Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell each ran their 40-yard dash between 4.50 and 4.58 seconds. This isn't really a bad thing for a guy like Tom Brady, who isn't the best deep ball passer.

The Complete List

If you're curious where your favorite team lands, here's the complete list of wide receiving corp average 40 times. I can't stress enough that this really isn't an exact science, but rather an exercise that's kind of interesting.