How Absurd Is A 40 Yard Dash Time?

Hughes ran a 4.60 and a 4.72.

A 4.72? At 5'10, 190 we know his size / weight isn't going to help him considerably in the NFL, and he clearly lacks speed and acceleration by having a 4.43 20 yard shuttle, and a 7.28 3 Cone drill. He ran the 10 yard dash in 1.55. He repped 225 16 times.

Lets compare these numbers to other high profile CBs.

Chris Houston ran a 4.30 and a 4.39.

At 5'10, 185 his size / weight is pretty much ideal (As is Hughes), and won't help / hinder him in the NFL. He ran a 4.12 20 yard shuttle, and a 6.94 3 Cone drill. He ran the 10 yard dash in 1.50 and repped 225 27 times.

So lets compare him to a 'slower' cornerback.

Aaron Ross ran a 4.42 and a 4.48.

At 6'1, 193 lbs his size / weight will help him in the NFL. He is as tall as, if not taller than many NFL receivers. He ran a 4.15 20 yard shuttle, and a 6.72 3 Cone Drill. He ran the 10 yard dash in 1.50 and repped 225 17 times.

Rashard Anderson ran a 4.59.

At 6'2, 206 lbs his size / weight will help him in the NFL. He ran a 4.15 20 yard shuttle, 7.18 3 cone drill, and a 1.58 10 yard dash. He did not bench press.

What I am trying to say is, Daymeion Hughes' speed (or lack thereof) does hurt him in the draft, clearly. His size is not helping, and his clear lack of acceleration is also not helping. Like it or not, the 40 yard dash, 3 cone drill, and 20 yard shuttle are pretty important factors in scouts determining a players speed and agility, and rightly so. You can get at least a feel and compare the player to other players of his position, and even other positions by comparing these statistics.

How a player performs in game is different though, right?

Is a WR who runs a 4.38 40, a 4.15 20 yard shuttle, and a 6.72 3 cone drill going to be able to burn a CB who runs a 4.72 40, a 4.43 20 yard shuttle, and a 7.28 3 cone drill? In virtually every situation in man coverage. Man on man the WR can run a post and leave the CB in the dust. He can run a stop and go and burn the CB.

In zone coverage the slower CB has a chance, but not in man.

Sorry if anything is confusing, I'm kind of tired and out of it right now, lol.