NFL players are usually shockingly fast despite their size. They need a combination of size, strength, and speed to rise to NFL greatness.
The faster a player, the better they are at creating a distance between themselves and the opposition. Speed has been a vital asset for many years. 
This need for speed in football also affects the NFL spreads as people are looking at the fastest players to create big plays and scoring.
Here’s some of the fastest players who have ever been in the NFL. This list is alphabetically since it’s hard to say who is definitely the fastest.
Bo Jackson
Not only was Bo an accomplished football player, but he also played professional baseball and is the only athlete to be named an All-Star in both sports.
His football career lasted from 1987 to 1990 with the Raiders. His career ended after 3 short years due to a hip injury.
During his career, he was named to the 1990 Pro Bowl and ended with 2,782 career rushing yards.
He currently holds the NFL record for the most runs for 90+ yards from scrimmage with two.
Bob Hayes
Before becoming a professional footballer, Hayes was an Olympic gold medalist sprinter. This led him to be the only athlete to win a gold medal and a Super Bowl ring.
He was a member of the Dallas Cowboys from 1965 to 1974 and won the Super Bowl with them in 1972. He was a Pro Bowler 3 times in his career.
At one point, Haynes held the world record for the 70-yard dash at 6.9 seconds.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Chris Johnson
Nicknamed “CJ2K,” Johnson played for the Titans from 2008 to 2013, the Jets in 2014, and finally the Cardinals from 2015 to his retirement in 2017.
At the draft, Johnson had a then record-breaking 4.24 seconds on the 40-yard dash. He also has the NFL record for the most yards from scrimmage in a season with 2,509.
He was a Pro Bowler 3 times. In 2008 he won the NFL rushing title with 2,006 yards. That year he won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Darrell Green
Green had an impressively long career with Washington from 1983 to 2002 and is considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time.
He holds the fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.09 seconds. He won 2 Super Bowls, was a Pro Bowler 7 times, and was the NFL Man of the Year in 1996.
Green was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Despite retiring at the age of 42, Green still played consistently and well against the younger players and proved that age wasn’t a limitation for greatness.
Deion Sanders
Sanders played for a plethora of teams throughout his NFL career. He started with the Falcons in 1989, then went to the 49ers for a year. Next he went to the Cowboys in 1995, then Washington for another year, and finally was a part of the Ravens from 2004 to 2005. He is currently the head coach at Jackson State.
Throughout his career, Sanders won 2 Super Bowls, was honored with 8 Pro Bowls, and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1994.
The was also named to the NFL 100th Anniversary team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Ike Taylor
Taylor played for the Steelers throughout his whole career, starting in 2003 until his retirement in 2014.
Across his 12-year career, Taylor won 2 Super Bowls.
Tyreek Hill
Hill was drafted by the Chiefs in 2016 and stayed with them until 2021. In 2022, he joined the Dolphins.
He is nicknamed the “Cheetah” for his breakaway speed on the field.
Hill has won 1 Super Bowl and has been honored with 8 Pro Bowls so far. No other player has more receiving touchdowns of 25 or more yards.
With his contract to the Miami Dolphins, Hill became the highest-paid wide receiver with a four-year $120 million extension, including a guaranteed $72.2 million.
Already in his first season with the Dolphins, he set the franchise record for receiving yards in a season, with 1,710 yards. In the latest season, during 2023, he averaged 112.4 receiving yards per game. Going into his ninth season with Miami, he’s still considered the fastest player in the NFL. He’s likely to remain a fan favorite, with many punters looking to wager with betting sites for player prop odds featuring Tyreek Hill for receiving yards and rushing yards and selecting him for another Pro Bowl in 2024.
Final Thoughts
The fast players are usually the ones to stun the crowd and when they get their hands on the ball they are the ones that strike the most fear in the opposition.
This is because they are able to get across the whole field in a matter of seconds, possibly completely changing the outcome of a game.
