Getty Marquise Brown of the Baltimore Ravens
Marquise Brown was always fast… Really fast. Growing up in Hollywood, Florida, the current Baltimore Ravens wide receiver was known by the nickname “Jet” amongst his friends as an ode to his blazing speed.
According to Bleacher Report’s Matt Hayes, Brown has been the fastest guy on the field since his Pop Warner days, which started at the age of five. Hayes reports that Brown, who to this day weighs just 170 lbs. soaking wet, used to purposely fumble the football as a way to counteract his minuscule size. Brown would fumble the ball, causing the defense to overpursue, then he’d turn on the jets and coast to the end zone.
While Brown, may not be purposely be putting the ball on the ground nowadays, he’s still running past defenders on a regular basis.
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Marquise Brown’s Speed & 40-Yard Dash Time
Unfortunately, Marquise Brown did not run the 40-yard dash during the 2019 NFL scouting combine, nor during Oklahoma University’s pro day, as he was rehabbing from surgery on a Lisfranc injury he had sustained in the Big 12 championship game.
Brown, who ran a 4.33 40-yard dash while playing at Canyon Community College, was utterly disappointed about his inability to participate.
“I was looking forward to doing the 40, but it’s cool,” he said. “I’ll let my play speed speak…I was going to aim for the record, for sure.”
The official fastest 40-yard dash ever recorded at the NFL Combine is a 4.22 run by Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick, wide receiver John Ross. When Brown was asked if he believed he could top Ross’ record, Brown simply nodded, stating “yeah.”
In a sport that is filled with elite athletes, Brown has always stood a notch above the rest. Here’s what former Baylor head coach and now-Carolina Panthers head coach had to say about Brown’s game-breaking speed.
“He gets the ball even or behind you, and you may as well strike up the band.”
If division one athletes couldn’t catch Brown, you can bet that an every day college student wouldn’t stand a chance running stride for stride with the receiver commonly known as “Hollywood.” However, one unlikely OU student found this out the hard way, in a comical race where Brown gave the student a 10-yard start. Check out the video below.
A year ago, this student tried to beat Hollywood Brown with a 10-yard head start… 🥵 @Primetime_jet (via @OU_Football)
How Marquise Brown’s Speed Ranks vs. NFL
Per NFL.com’s list of 11 fastest official 40-yard dashes since 2013, only 11 players have managed to time in at a sub-4.3 second run. Brown would have all but certainly been the 12th player, had he been healthy enough to run on the day of his combine.
The only 40-yard dash we have on file for Brown is his 4.33 back from his junior college days. He’s undoubtedly gotten faster since then, and with the proper training, he would have almost definitely challenged John Ross for the all-time combine record.
Despite hauling in just 46 receptions this season, Brown’s big-play ability was on full display in 2019, recording eight plays of 20+ yards and four plays of 40+ yards in his rookie campaign.
Brown may not have an official 40-yard dash on the records, however, if you go by the eye-test, the only player in football who may give Brown a run for his money is Kansas City Chiefs Tyreek Hill. Oddly enough, Hill, like Brown also did not run the 40-yard dash at the combine. Hill was not invited due to off the field actions.
While we may never get to see Marquise Brown run a 40-yard dash in an official combine setting, he’ll continue to live up to his childhood nickname throughout his pro career as he “jets” past NFL cornerbacks on a regular basis.
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Marquise Brown 40-Yard Dash: Is Ravens WR the Fastest Player in the NFL?