Fort Valley State receiver/return specialist Ricardo Lockette is one of the top candidates for the fastest forty time at the Combine, in large part because of his track background.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound prospect is a former National Champion in the 100 meters, and ran track throughout his college career. He put on record a 4.35 forty at Fort Valley State, although Lockette’s plan is to run at least a tenth of a second faster in Indianapolis.
“I’m shooting for the mid-4.2s,” Lockette told PFT Wednesday. “Hopefully, I can get the record.”
The record Lockette is speaking of is the fastest forty time in NFL Combine history. Since the Combine became a media-friendly event in the late 1990s to early 2000s, Rondel Melendez of Eastern Kentucky and Chris Johnson of East Carolina have run the fastest, tying at 4.24.
Breaking the record is “definitely one of my goals,” Lockette promised, adding that he’s been timed recently as fast as 4.26 and 4.27. Lockette hopes a record-breaking forty time will vault his draft stock anywhere from the second- to fifth-round range.
Originally an Auburn commit, Lockette bounced around colleges and finished up in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He averaged 24.0 yards per kickoff return last season, and caught 23 passes for 262 yards with one touchdown.
Despite the underwhelming production, Lockette is CBS Sports draft analyst Chad Reuter’s favorite to run the best forty this weekend.