Former Kent State running back Dri Archer fell two-hundredths of a second short of breaking the record for the fastest 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine.
Archer ran his 40 in 4.26 seconds, just shy of the record of 4.24 set by Chris Johnson in 2008. Archer’s time tops the 4.27 that Marquise Goodwin ran last year, and Archer now owns the second-fastest 40 since the NFL started publishing official Combine results in 2006.
In college Archer was an excellent all-around player, particularly in his junior year of 2012. That season Archer had 1,429 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, 561 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and 591 kickoff return yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Archer didn’t match those numbers in an injury-plagued senior season, and that history of injuries, combined with his size (he goes 5-foot-8 and 173 pounds), may make some teams wonder if Archer can hold up over the course of a 16-game NFL season. Archer isn’t going to be an every-down running back, but a smart team should be able to find a way to take advantage of his athletic ability. That kind of speed doesn’t come along often.