Former University of Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond says he plans to break the NFL Combine’s 40-yard dash record.
Bond’s fellow Texas alumnus, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, set the record at last year’s Combine with a blistering 4.21-second run. At his media availability Friday, Bond said he would run the drill in 4.2 seconds or even less. The former track star will face some stiff competition from several other prospects who have threatened to break the record and have similar backgrounds.
“I’m going to break the record tomorrow, for sure,” Bond said. “I anticipate running 4.20 or possibly, [if] I’m feeling great, I might run 4.1.” Bond said he has clocked a 4.23 in training “after some low weeks.”
Bond’s track background puts some weight behind his bravado. As a junior at Buford High School in Georgia, Bond set a personal best with a 10.48 time in the 100-meter dash. For context, Worthy ran the 100 meters in 10.55 as a sophomore in high school; he did not run track as a junior or senior. John Ross, who set the 40-yard record before Worthy with a 4.22 in 2017, ran a 10.66 in the 100 meters in 2013 as a senior.
“I’ve been running my whole life,” Bond said. “I’ve been one of the fastest my whole life, so I’m just going to go out there and when practice meets preparation, greatness is achieved. So I’m just going to ... trust my training and put on a show.”
Asked about the record during his press conference, Smith said he doesn’t want to set a goal publicly without meeting it eventually.
“I feel like it’s hard to set goals here,” Smith said. “Like, I don’t want to say something and [media] expect that, and I go out there running and I’m not reaching expectations. But I definitely set my goal pretty high, for the 40 and everything I do here. I’m excited to compete tomorrow. Looking forward to that.”
He said he welcomed the pressure of high expectations. “Pressure ... brings out the best of you,” Smith added. “I welcome pressure. I’m not here to duck pressure in any way. I’m here to compete at the highest level and show that I can compete at the highest level. So I’m excited to run for sure.”
Smith said his coaches were hiding his times so he didn’t get too much of an inflated ego. He said more than anything, he wants to compete against himself.
Former Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson also touted his speed. “If you blink, you might miss me,” Johnson said during his interview, via Sports Illustrated.
Bond said his speed separates him from the rest of the class but he shouldn’t be sold short on his routes. “[There’s] not a receiver, I don’t think, that has the speed and capabilities I have,” he said. “And it’s not even just speed. I feel like I’m a complete receiver. I have amazing routes. If you watch the tape you'll see that.”
“People just say I’m just all speed, but I have really crisp, clean routes.”
So far, the fastest 40 belongs to Kentucky defensive back Maxwell Hairston, who clocked an official 4.28 at the Combine on Friday.
