Speed Kills: Manziel Runs Past Oklahoma, Records; A&M Wrecks Sooners in Cotton Bowl

Add Oklahoma to the teams that do not believe Johnny Manziel when he says he probably runs a 4.5 or 4.6 40-yard dash. He may join Robert Griffin III and Michael Vick as the only quarterbacks to break the list of the fastest 40 players to be legitimate NFL and FBS football players, and when he beat the Oklahoma defense with a 34-yard touchdown pass, the Cotton Bowl was over at 41-13. He finished with 287 yards on 34 passes (8.4 yards per attempt) to add to his 229 yards on 17 rushes (13.5 yards per carry). Manziel broke the Cotton Bowl record for most total yards. He also broke former BYU quarterback Ty Detmer’s record for most total yards in a season by a Heisman winner. 

Rank	Name	Time	College Team	Position	Year
?	Johnny Manziel	?	Texas A&M	Quarterback	2012
1	Bo Jackson	4.12	Auburn	Running back	1986
2	Michael Bennett	4.13	Wisconsin	Running back	2000
3	Alexander Wright	4.14	Auburn	Wide receiver	1989
4	Darrell Green	4.15	Texas A&M	Cornerback	1982
5	Ahman Green	4.17	Nebraska	Running back	1997
6	Joey Galloway	4.18	Ohio St.	Wide receiver	1994
7	Deion Sanders	4.21	Florida St.	Cornerback	1989
8	Kevin Curtis	4.21	Utah St.	Wide receiver	2002
9	Donte Stallworth	4.22	Tennessee	Wide receiver	2001
10	Willie Parker	4.23	UNC	Running back	2003
11	Chris Johnson	4.24	East Carolina	Running back	2006
12	Taylor Mays	4.24	USC	Safety	2009
13	Ike Taylor	4.25	Louisiana-Lafayette	Cornerback	2002
14	Michael Vick	4.25	Virginia Tech	Quarterback	2000
15	Randy Moss	4.25	Marshall	Wide receiver	1997
16	Sam Shields	4.25	Miami	Cornerback	2010
17	Jeffrey Demps	4.26	Florida	Running back	2007
18	Darren McFadden	4.27	Arkansas	Running back	2007
19	Devin Hester	4.27	Miami	Wide receiver	2005
20	Jacoby Ford	4.27	Clemson	Wide receiver	2008
21	James Jett	4.27	West Virginia	Wide receiver	1992
22	Stanford Routt	4.27	Houston	Cornerback	2003
23	Trindon Holliday	4.27	LSU	Wide receiver	2008
24	Champ Bailey	4.28	Georgia	Cornerback	1997
25	DeMarcus Van Dyke	4.28	Miami	Cornerback	2009
26	Kevin Williams	4.28	Miami	Wide receiver	1992
27	Raghib Ismail	4.28	Notre Dame	Wide receiver	1990
28	Rod Woodson	4.28	Purdue	Defensive Back	1986
29	Fabian Washington	4.29	Nebraska	Cornerback	2003
30	Gaston Green	4.29	UCLA	Running back	1987
31	Josh Robinson	4.29	Central Florida	Cornerback	2010
32	Laveranues Coles	4.29	Florida St.	Wide receiver	1999
33	Darrent Williams	4.3	Oklahoma St.	Cornerback	2003
34	Darrius Heyward-Bey	4.3	Maryland	Wide receiver	2007
35	Tye Hill	4.3	Clemson	Cornerback	2004
36	Yamon Figurs	4.3	Kansas St.	Wide receiver	2005
37	Robert Griffin III	4.34	Baylor	Quarterback	2011
38	Marquise Goodwin	4.34	Texas	Wide receiver	2012
39	Corey Brown	4.37	Ohio St.	Wide receiver	2012

Rumors have placed him as fast as a 4.2, but many at least believe he will join Michael Vick and Robert Griffin III as the only quarterbacks to ever break the fastest 40 players of all time.

Breitbart News compiled the list of the fastest 40 NFL/FBS players by reviewing NFL combine results and other third-party reports.This club is almost exclusively composed of wide receivers, the corner backs that cover them, and small running backs. The two biggest players have mixed results. 

Taylor Mays, the 230-pound safety and former USC standout (Mays is a now a third-string safety for the Cincinnati Bengals) was No. 12. But 230-pound Bo Jackson, the Auburn legend, still reigns as the fastest football player ever. 

Once in a while, one of the speedsters can throw the football as well. Michael Vick is the 14th fastest player ever, and he transformed the game by making teams draft smaller defensive players for years. Cam Newton dominated college with size and 4.59 speed, but that is not quite quick enough to make this list.And now there is Johnny Manziel. Like the wide receiver who runs in 2nd gear to fool opponents before exploding, Manziel tells reporters he probably runs a “4.5 or 4.6 40,” but conveniently is waiting to have himself clocked until he finishes running past defenders who run 4.4 40s. 

In the Clinton war room in 1992, James Carville reminded his team that “speed kills your opponent.” This is just as true on the football field.