Lamar Jackson 40 time: Where did he rank among QBs?

Here’s what Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson recorded for his 40-yard dash time in the 2018 NFL Combine.

If there was a quarterback comparison for Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson in the 2023 NFL Combine, it may be Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who recently broke combine records in the broad jump and vertical jump.

The NFL Combine has historically given draft prospects an opportunity to show off their freakish abilities in a variety of athletic measurables, but Lamar Jackson didn’t exactly follow the script back in 2018.

Jackson refused to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine or at Louisville’s Pro Day. He apparently opted out of running the 40-yard dash at the combine after a team’s scout approached him about the possibility of converting to wide receiver; Jackson then decided to only participate in throwing drills.

His choice to sit out of the 40-yard dash clearly didn’t affect his draft stock as Jackson was ultimately selected by the Ravens with the 32nd overall pick. Jackson has since developed into one of the league’s premier dual-threat quarterbacks and has broken multiple franchise and NFL rushing records, including the single-season quarterback rushing record with 1,206 yards in 2019.

Lamar Jackson’s 40-yard dash time compared to the fastest times of the 2023 NFL Combine

Unofficially, at Louisville’s “Speed Day” in 2017, Jackson ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash.

At the time, Jackson was reportedly suffering from a case of turf toe which could have impacted his performance.

In any case, Jackson’s 40 time doesn’t technically count. It would, however, rank as the all-time second-best 40-yard dash time of any quarterback, trailing only Michael Vick’s blazing fast 4.33 second 40 time.

If Jackson ran a 4.34 40 time in 2023, he would have easily outpaced every quarterback prospect so far. Anthony Richardson leads the way with a 4.43 40 time, trailed by TCU’s Max Duggan (4.52) and Louisville’s Malik Cunningham (4.54).