From Yahoo Sports:
The combine's biggest winner yet might have surfaced Sunday, when Florida wide receiver Chad Jackson ran a blistering 40-yard dash. He was clocked anywhere from 4.26 to 4.36 seconds – with the electronic time settling at an extremely impressive 4.32.
The draft has looked lean in terms of impact wideouts, with Ohio State's Santonio Holmes appearing to be the position's No. 1 player going into the combine. But Jackson came in with size (6-foot and 213 pounds), good hands and solid route-running skills. With Holmes choosing not to run, people were looking for Jackson to post a jaw-dropping 40 time, and he gave it to them.
Now he's likely secured himself a spot in the draft's top 20, and with the size edge (Holmes came in at 5-10½ and 198 pounds), Jackson is expected to climb to the top of some draft boards at wide receiver. Interestingly, Jackson's agent is David Canter, who represented last year's mover and shaker, Troy Williamson, whose stock rose after running a 4.38 in the 40 and was chosen seventh overall. This year's generous crop of talent might prevent that kind of jump this year, but Jackson is clearly rising.
"(Chad) said, 'Tell me everything I need to do to do what Troy Williamson did,' " Canter said Sunday. "He goes, 'I don't care if it's eating every single of the worst tasting foods for the next three months (or) study the Wonderlic test.' He did his workouts. He didn't complain. He just shut up and went about his business and played his video games. He didn't even go out (at night)."
Other notes:
Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal and Arizona State wide receiver Derek Hagan really opened some eyes Sunday, running great 40-yard dash times.
McNeal tied for the combine's second-fastest time (4.35 seconds), and he'll have NFL teams pushing him to show what he can do at wide receiver in his personal workouts. McNeal wasn't a particularly accurate passer for the Aggies, but his size (6-2, 205) and speed would make him a very attractive wideout if he could make the transition. He said earlier in the week that he'd be open to making the switch.
As for Hagan, he was extremely productive at Arizona State, but the knock on him was that he didn't have enough speed to be more than a possession receiver in the NFL. Hagan showed otherwise, posting a time of 4.42 (some had it as fast as 4.4 flat). Considering his size (6-2, 208) and good production in college (three straight 1,000-yard seasons and 27 touchdown catches his final three years), Hagan has a chance to climb into the bottom of the first round.
Some other notable 40 times Sunday:
Running backs – Mississippi State's Jerious Norwood (4.4 seconds) and Florida State's Leon Washington (4.42).
Quarterbacks – Virginia Tech's Marcus Vick (4.42) and Missouri's Brad Smith (4.46).
Wide receivers – Auburn's Devin Aramashodu (4.35) and LSU's Skyler Green (4.44).
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You may feel a slight sting... thats pride ****in with you
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Chad Jackson - Combine Darling
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