Justin Jefferson was selected 22nd overall in the 2020 NFL draft. Jefferson has been phenomenal in the NFL with a total of 3,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons in the league. Due to his success, many fans want to know Justin Jefferson’s 40 time.
Justin Jefferson ran an official 4.43 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL combine. Jefferson’s 40 time was the ninth fastest for wide receivers at the 2020 combine.
Though Jefferson did not have the fastest 40 time at his combine this was still a great time for him as a prospect. A 4.4. 40-time is fast and that time paired with Jefferson’s production in college was enough to get this receiver selected in the first round.
For comparison check out some other top fourty times such as John Ross’s or Tyreek Hill’s.
Pre Draft Strengths And Weaknesses
Like all prospects, Jefferson entered the draft with scouts having positive and negative things to say about him as a wide receiver. Now that Jefferson has performed incredibly well at the NFL level we can look back on these pre-draft takes.
Jab step gives separation from route stem more life
One of the positives about Jefferson as a prospect was his ability to separate from defenders when he made his cuts. Throughout college football, Jefferson consistently beat defenders with his route running.
Once entering the NFL this continued, teams will rarely match up Justin Jefferson with a single cornerback as he is too dangerous. Jefferson consistently beats opponents and achieves separation at all levels of the field.
Ridiculous catch radius to help a quarterback out
At the NFL combine scouts were pleased to see Justin Jeffersons’ reach and wingspan. This allows him a larger area around him in which he can bring in catches.
For quarterbacks, this is great as wide receivers like Jefferson can make them look a lot better.
Jefferson retained his impressive catch radius in the NFL as he continued to bring down just about any ball that was thrown his way.
Adjusts speeds to track throws and shield coverage
Another positive about Jefferson coming out of college was his ability to win 50/50 balls.
On top of achieving separation, Jefferson also does a great job winning contested balls. Jefferson is able to find the ball when deep downfield and control his body so that he ends up in the right position.
This often includes getting better body position over the cornerback so that he has a better shot at the catch. This sort of body control allows him to be an effective deep-ball receiver.
Too complacent to beat coverage with athletic ability
One negative take against Jefferson as a prospect was that he was too quick to use only his athletic ability to beat opponents instead of skill or technique.
It’s hard to say if that criticism is accurate or not because Jefferson is able to beat opponents’ athletic ability at the NFL level as well. He has made moves to improve his technique as a receiver but simply as an athlete, he was already playing at an NFL level.
That’s all for Justin Jefferson’s 40 time see some other examples in our articles on Mac Jones 40 time or Cooper Kupp’s 40 time.
