{"id":494970,"date":"2026-02-28T04:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T04:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/494970\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T04:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T04:41:11","slug":"2026-nfl-scouting-combine-top-10-fastest-40-yard-dash-times-for-tight-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/494970\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Scouting Combine: Top 10 fastest 40-yard dash times for tight ends"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the defensive drills in the books, the offense will now take center stage at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Tight ends were the first up in the 40-yard dash to close out Friday\u2019s second day of action at Lucas Oil Stadium.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s class of tight ends is an interesting one, and two of them \u2013 Oregon\u2019s<\/a> Kenyon Sadiq<\/a> and Vanderbilt\u2019s<\/a> Eli Stowers<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 made history in the broad and vertical jumps. They both then ran the 40-yard dash and lived up to the billing, with Sadiq leading the way as the fastest tight end ever in the event.<\/p>\n

The tight ends marked the final group of workouts on Friday at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Here are the Top 10 fastest players at the position.<\/p>\n

1. Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.39 seconds<\/p>\n

Considered potentially the top tight end in the draft, Kenyon Sadiq<\/a> put on a show at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on Friday. He also led the charge in the 40-yard dash with a 4.40-second run to lead the group.<\/p>\n

Sadiq is coming off a career year at Oregon<\/a>, where he became a top target for Dante Moore<\/a>. He hauled in 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns while helping the Ducks to the College Football Playoff.<\/p>\n

T-2. Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.51 seconds<\/p>\n

\"EliEli Stowers (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Along with Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers<\/a> entered the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine with high expectations. He delivered, and he sat second among tight ends with a 4.51-second run in the 40-yard dash<\/p>\n

Stowers \u2013 a converted quarterback \u2013 was a top playmaker at Vanderbilt<\/a> the past two seasons. In 2025, he set new career-highs with 62 receptions and 769 yards while hauling in four touchdowns.<\/p>\n

T-2. RJ Maryland, SMU\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.51 seconds<\/p>\n

Across his four years at SMU<\/a>, RJ Maryland<\/a> was consistent in his production. He also ranked among the fastest tight ends on Friday, clocking in at 4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash.<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s best year with the Mustangs came in 2023 when he had 34 receptions for 518 yards and seven touchdowns. On the whole, in four seasons, he had 1,495 yards and 19 touchdowns to his name.<\/p>\n

4. Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.52 seconds<\/p>\n

After spending three seasons as a linebacker at Oklahoma<\/a>, Jaren Kanak<\/a> made the move to offense. He put up solid numbers as a tight end in 2025 and was one of the five fastest players at the position during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.<\/p>\n

Kanak had 44 receptions for 533 yards in his lone season on offense. His transition came after he totaled 103 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in three years as a linebacker.<\/p>\n

5. Matthew Hibner, SMU\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.57 seconds<\/p>\n

\"smu-drops-behind-alabama-ap-poll-released-after-conference-championships\"Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

After transferring from Michigan<\/a>, Matthew Hibner<\/a> had two solid seasons at SMU<\/a>. He was also impressive in the 40-yard dash on Friday with one of the fastest times among tight ends.<\/p>\n

Hibner had a career year in 2025 as he hauled in 31 receptions for 436 yards and four touchdowns. On the whole, he had 819 yards and eight scores in his two years with the Mustangs.<\/p>\n

6. John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming\u00a0\u2013 4.60 seconds<\/p>\n

In three seasons as a starter at Wyoming<\/a>, John Michael Gyllenborg<\/a> served as a solid security blanket. He recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards during his career as a reliable target.<\/p>\n

Gyllenborg had 80 receptions for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns in his three seasons in the Cowboys\u2019 offense. That includes career-bests in 2024 with 30 catches, 425 yards and three touchdowns in nine games.<\/p>\n

8. Marlin Klein, Michigan\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.61 seconds<\/p>\n

During his time at Michigan<\/a>, Marlin Klein<\/a> didn\u2019t necessarily put up big numbers in the passing game, but became known as a blocker. He was still among the Top 10 tight ends in the 40-yard dash on Friday, running a 4.62.<\/p>\n

Klein turned in his most productive season in 2025 when he had 24 receptions for 248 yards and his first career touchdown. He was also part of Michigan\u2019s national championship team in 2023.<\/p>\n

T-9. Jack Endries, Texas \u2013\u00a04.62 seconds<\/p>\n

\"JackJack Endries (Will Gallagher\/Inside Texas)<\/p>\n

After transferring from Cal<\/a>, Jack Endries<\/a> put up solid numbers at Texas<\/a>. He had 33 catches for 346 yards and three touchdowns in his third season of college football before heading to the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

Endries was coming off a strong 2024 season at Cal before entering the transfer portal. He had 56 catches for 623 yards and two touchdowns, all of which were career-highs.<\/p>\n

T-9. Dallen Bentley, Utah\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.62 seconds<\/p>\n

Dallen Bentley<\/a> emerged as a top target for Devon Dampier<\/a> at Utah<\/a> in 2025 with a career year. He put up strong numbers as a senior and will now get ready to take his talents to the next level.<\/p>\n

Bentley hauled in 48 receptions for 620 yards and six touchdowns in his lone season of action as the Utes\u2019 starting tight end. He also looked strong at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.62-second 40-yard dash.<\/p>\n

T-9. Eli Raridon, Notre Dame\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.62 seconds<\/p>\n

In his first season as Notre Dame\u2019s<\/a> top option at tight end, Eli Raridon<\/a> was impressive. He also ranked in the Top 10 at the position in the 40-yard dash on Friday, tying for seventh.<\/p>\n

Raridon had 32 receptions for 482 yards as a senior after serving as TE2 in 2024. He had two tight ends that season as a junior before becoming a valuable target for CJ Carr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More 40-yard dash times for tight ends<\/p>\n

Bauer Sharp<\/a>, LSU<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 4.63 seconds
Josh Cuevas<\/a>, Alabama<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.65 seconds
Riley Nowakowski<\/a>, Indiana<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 4.66 seconds
Tanner Koziol<\/a>, Houston<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 4.70 seconds
Sam Roush<\/a>, Stanford<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.70 seconds
Khalil Dinkins<\/a>, Penn State<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.72 seconds
Will Kacmarek<\/a>, Ohio State<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a04.74 seconds
Miles Kitselman<\/a>, Tennessee<\/a> \u2013\u00a04.90 seconds<\/p>\n

With that, Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine workouts is in the books. Saturday will be the marquee day of events as the running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers all take the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the defensive drills in the books, the offense will now take center stage at the 2026 NFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494971,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[226478,226479,226480,175226,399,215707,226481,226482,169810,175243,226483,226484,226485,226486,398,396,397,226487,226488,226489,99,226490,226491],"class_list":{"0":"post-494970","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-bauer-sharp-21-dothan","9":"tag-dallen-bentley","10":"tag-eli-raridon-22-valley","11":"tag-eli-stowers-21-guyer","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-jack-endries-22-monte-vista","14":"tag-jaren-kanak-22-hays","15":"tag-john-michael-gyllenborg-21-rockhurst","16":"tag-josh-cuevas","17":"tag-kenyon-sadiq-23-skyline-senior","18":"tag-khalil-dinkins-21-north-allegheny","19":"tag-marlin-klein-22-rabun-gap-nacoochee-school","20":"tag-matthew-hibner-20-lake-braddock","21":"tag-miles-kitselman-21-lyndon","22":"tag-ncaa","23":"tag-ncaa-football","24":"tag-ncaafootball","25":"tag-r-j-maryland-22-southlake-carroll","26":"tag-riley-nowakowski-20-marquette-university","27":"tag-sam-roush-22-lipscomb-academy","28":"tag-sports","29":"tag-tanner-koziol-21-nazareth-academy","30":"tag-will-kacmarek-21-mary-institute-st-louis-country-day"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}