Baylor Bears wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton didn't break the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record after all

By Adam Stites | Last updated 3/3/22

Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton was lauded as the fastest man ever at the NFL Combine for about two hours Thursday when the NFL Network broadcast clocked him at 4.21 seconds.

The old record of 4.22 seconds was set by John Ross III in 2017, and appeared to go down by a hundredth of a second when Thornton ran the drill. Instead, the official time of 4.28 seconds kept Ross in the top spot.

WOW. JUST WOW.@BUFootball WR Tyquan Thornton might've just broken the all-time 40 record with a 4.21u.

: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/WvR8FfKv6M
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2022

While the time wasn't enough to break the record, it was still the only time under 4.3 seconds among receivers. Thornton caught 62 passes for Baylor in 2021 with 942 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions. In the latest draft rankings from ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr, Thornton doesn't appear at all in his list of the top 15 receivers of the class.

Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave had an even rougher time adjustment when his 4.26-second dash dropped to 4.39 seconds on the official time. The unofficial time would've tied Olave for fifth fastest in NFL Combine history.

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