Russel Wilson has had an incredible career in the NFL winning two Superbowls so far in his career. Wilson has always been known as a speedy quarterback but many fans do not know his 40 time.
Russel Wilson ran an official 4.53 forty yard dash at the 2012 NFL combine.
Wilson’s 40 time was the second-fastest for quarterbacks at the combine with only Robert Griffin the third ahead of him.
It is important to know that Russel Wilson’s 40 time was official. Official times of the 40-yard dash tend to be slower than unofficial times.
Unofficial 40-yard dash times are recorded using a handheld stopwatch. Human error means that these tests are not always going to be accurate.
Official 40 times are measured at the NFL combine using electronic timing. This allows them to test much more accurately.
How does Wilson use his speed?
Now that you know what Russel Wilson’s 40 yard dash time is you may be wondering how he uses this speed on the field.
Below we will cover some ways in which Wilson takes advantage of his speed at the quarterback position.
Escaping the pocket and extending the play
For many of the years that Russel Wilson was a quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, he had a poor offensive line.
When the offensive line doesn’t offer proper protection several things go wrong. First, they eliminate the ability of the offense to run the ball. Once that happens the offense will be forced to pass the ball and the defense will know it.
The defense will then focus on pass-rushing the quarterback in order to tackle him before he throws the ball.
Since Wilson’s o-line was not very good their attempts to pass protect often did not go ver well. Wilson often had several defenders in the backfield chasing him before he had thrown the ball.
This is where he was able to take full advantage of his 40 time. Wilson often made these defenders look foolish as they chased him in the backfield.
He would scramble around the backfield and use quick changes of direction in order to avoid the defensive lineman.
All this time spent chasing Wilson meant his receivers had plenty of time to get open.
The longer Wilson scrambled the more difficult it became for the defensive backs to keep the receivers covered.
Wilson often followed up these long runs in the pocket with his signature deep pass.
Many of the Seahawk’s big passing plays on offense were successful because Russel Wilson was able to buy time with his feet.
Scrambling on third downs
Another way that Russel Wilson was able to use his speed to his advantage in football was when rushing the ball.
At any point, a quarterback may progress the ball on the ground by running it. Most quarterbacks don’t have the speed to do this unless there is a lot of open space.
On third downs, Wilson did a great job at finding the right time to use his legs.
Once the defenders had moved downfield to cover the receivers Wilson would step up in the pocket and start to run with the ball.
These runs were not very long but were usually enough to get the first down.
