What Was Jaylen Waddle’s 40 Time?

Jaylen Waddle was selected sixth over in the 2020 draft by the Miami Dolphins. This speedy receiver dominated NCAA football but due to the pandemic and injury, many fans do not know Jaylen Waddle’s 40 time.

Jaylen Waddle does not have an official 40 time. The 2020 combine was cancelled due to covid-19 and Waddle decided not to run the forty-yard dash at Alabama’s Pro Day due to an injured ankle.

For this reason, teams did not have an official number they could use to measure Jaylen Waddle’s speed in this drill. This is a similar situation to Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith.

Instead, teams relied on game film and player tracking GPS devices to determine how fast Waddle could run. Some of the larger football programs like Alabama used GPS trackers on their players to measure in-game speeds.

This information is not made public but is often given to NFL scouts so they can further evaluate their prospects.

In Waddle’s case scouts had to rely on this data to measure his speed. Watching Waddle play you can clearly see how fast this receiver is. But without a combine or a pro day the question of what is Jaylen Waddle’s 40 time will likely never be answered.

Pre Draft Strength And Weaknesses

Coming into the draft this Alabama wide receiver was one of the most heavily scouted prospects. Below we will cover some of the strengths and weaknesses scouts believed this player had before he reached the NFL.

Strengths

Top-End Speed

One of the key strengths of Waddle’s game is his speed. Despite not having a forty yard dash time this player was clearly one of the fastest on the field.

Waddle was able to consistently beat defenders deep as well burst quickly out of his cuts.

His elite top-end speed makes him nearly impossible to cover on crossing routes.

Home Run Ability

Another factor teams liked about this wide receiver was his ability to generate long touchdowns. In football, the ability to score long plays is often referred to as being a home run hitter.

Eleven of Jaylen Waddle’s twenty college football touchdowns were over fifty yards. This had many scouts excited about his ability to take the top off a defense.

Weaknesses

Will Catch With Body On Some Occasions

One of the knocks that were levied against Waddle as he entered the draft was that he would sometimes revert to catching the ball with his body instead of his hands.

Catching the ball with your body is going to increase the chances of creating a drop which is why this concerned some teams.

Though concerns were quickly put to bed when Waddle broke the record for most receptions by a rookie wide receiver.

Hasn’t Been Tested Enough Against Press

Another weakness in the draft process was that Waddle did not face enough press coverage in college. In the NFL some of the top cornerbacks will play press coverage.

This paired with the fact Waddle is a smaller receiver meant that defenses were more likely to try and press him.

That is all on Jaylen Waddle, to learn more about other top players’ top speed check out Kadarius Toney’s 40 time or Trevor Lawrence’s combine workout.

Leave a Comment