The NFL’s regional combines are set up to give small-school players a chance to show what they can do, and one small-school player made the whole league take notice today.
Wendall Williams, a wide receiver from the University of the Cumberlands, ran an incredible 4.19-second 40-yard dash at a regional combine today. That breaks the official Scouting Combine record of 4.24 seconds, set by Chris Johnson.
Williams also recorded a 45.0-inch vertical jump, which is tied for the best jump ever recorded at the regular Scouting Combine.
Those numbers are so shocking that they sound unbelievable at first. But Williams was a track and field star who won the NAIA national championship in the long jump and was fourth in the country in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, so there’s little doubt that he’s a phenomenal athlete.
He also put up phenomenal numbers on the football field: He was an NAIA All-American while averaging 30.5 yards per catch (with eight touchdowns), 32.4 yards per kickoff return (with three touchdowns), 23.5 yards per punt return (with one touchdown) and 17.6 yards per carry (with three touchdowns).
So can the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Williams play in the pros? It’s a huge jump to go from the NAIA to the NFL. But this is a young man who’s used to making huge jumps.
Photo via University of the Cumberlands.