As it turns out, Wendall Williams isn’t Chris Johnson fast.
He’s just really, really fast.
The wide receiver from NAIA University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky created a bit of a stir when he ran a hand-timed 4.19-second 40-yard dash at the league’s regional combine in Minnesota Saturday.
According to the Associated Press, that became a 4.32 when the laser-timed “official” times were registered, which would be off Chris Johnson’s all-time Combine record of 4.24 seconds.
“I didn’t see the numbers, but I couldn’t believe them at first,” Williams said. “I thought I ran something good, but not that good. But then I saw the reaction from the other guys and realized it was pretty good.”
It was good enough to catch Johnson’s attention, as he breathed a sigh of relief on Twitter.
And now that he’s suddenly semi-famous, Williams is getting used to all the attention.
“I can’t even explain how many texts and phone calls I’ve gotten,” he said. “It’s been outrageous.”
Cumberlands coach Mark Rhymer said he wasn’t surprised by the times, and thinks the slight wide receiver would impress teams in workouts beyond his sprinting ability.
“Wendall has natural running abilities that are obvious by his track numbers alone,” Rhymer said. “That’s not all he has, though. He can run great routes, catch the ball and make people miss after catch.
“Wendall loves being an athlete, training and practicing every day to get better at his craft, I believe that will really help him in terms of playing on the next level.”
He’ll doubtless get more chances to prove himself now. The regional combine at the Vikings facility also included scouts from the Packers, Panthers and Chiefs, and now that word has gotten out about Williams, more teams will want to see for themselves just how fast he is.