One of the things that stood out about linebacker Ryan Shazier when he was entering the NFL in 2014 was his speed and it doesn’t appear he’s lost a step over the last two years.
Shazier raced Steelers wide receivers Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates in a 40-yard dash on Wednesday and came out on top. Brown shared video of the race on his Snapchat account and linebacker Vince Williams caught a picture of the finish.
There it is #Linebackers pic.twitter.com/fqvH19YwUR
— Vince Williams (@VinnyVidiVici98) June 8, 2016
Williams offered some other commentary on the race as well, including his feeling that Shazier’s “lack of body hair makes him more aerodynamic” than the other competitors. Williams also pointed out that defensive players aren’t usually running 40 yards unless they get beat and that he thinks “superior change of direction skills” were more important than straight-line speed for football players.
Those points are well taken and the Steelers are likely less concerned with how fast Shazier can run 40 yards than his ability to remain on the field. All of that speed hasn’t kept him from missing 11 games over his first two seasons with the Steelers and more frequent appearances at any velocity would be a step in the right direction for the Steelers defense.