Tapper, Ogbah, Lawson among fastest defensive linemen in 40-yard dash
The defensive linemen impressed during on-field drills at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, solidifying themselves as arguably the most talented position in this year's draft.
Charles Tapper, Emmanuel Ogbah, Kamalei Correa, and Shaq Lawson all posted 40-yard dash times that were comparable to some of the runs by wide receivers on Saturday.
Lawson was already thought of as a first-round talent, but Correa and Ogbah could experience a boost from their current mid-round prospect status due to their standout performances.
One of the other top edge-rushing talents had worse luck. Kevin Dodd put in a solid time of 4.86 seconds in his first attempt, but appeared to suffer a hamstring injury during his second, which forced him to miss the rest of the day's drills.
| Players | College | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Tapper | Oklahoma | 4.59 sec |
| Emmanuel Ogbah | Oklahoma St. | 4.63 sec |
| Kamalei Correa | Boise St. | 4.69 sec |
| Shaq Lawson | Clemson | 4.70 sec |
| Matt Judon | Grand Valley St. | 4.73 sec |
| Dadi Nicolas | Virginia Tech | 4.74 sec |
| Yannick Ngakoue | Maryland | 4.75 sec |
| Noah Spence | Eastern Kentucky | 4.80 sec |
| Alex McCalister | Florida | 4.80 sec |
| Anthony Zettel | Penn St. | 4.81 sec |
| Shilique Calhoun | Michigan St. | 4.82 sec |
| James Cowser | Southern Utah | 4.82 sec |
| Carl Nassib | Penn St. | 4.84 sec |
| Kevin Dodd | Clemson | 4.86 sec |
| Victor Ochi | Stony Brook | 4.86 sec |
| Joey Bosa | Ohio St. | 4.86 sec |
| Dean Lowry | Northwestern | 4.87 sec |
| Bronson Kaufusi | BYU | 4.87 sec |
| Robert Nkemdiche | Mississippi | 4.87 sec |
| Romeo Okawara | Notre Dame | 4.90 sec |
| Connor Wujciak | Boston College | 4.91 sec |
| Ron Thompson | Syracuse | 4.92 sec |
| Jason Fanaika | Utah | 4.92 sec |
| Javon Hargrave | South Carolina St. | 4.93 sec |
| Jonathan Bullard | Florida | 4.93 sec |
| Giorgio Newberry | Florida st. | 4.94 sec |
| Quinton Jefferson | Maryland | 4.95 sec |
| Shawn Oakman | Baylor | 4.96 sec |
| Lawrence Thomas | Michigan St. | 4.98 sec |
| D.J. Pettway | Alabama | 4.99 sec |
| Willie Henry | Michigan | 5.00 sec |
| Ufomba Kamalu | Miami | 5.01 sec |
| Hassan Ridgeway | Texas | 5.02 sec |
| Joel Heath | Michigan St. | 5.02 sec |
| Chris Jones | Mississippi St. | 5.03 sec |
| Matthew Ioannidis | Temples | 5.03 sec |
| Sheldon Rankins | Louisville | 5.03 sec |
| Maliek Collins | Nebraska | 5.03 sec |
| DeForest Buckner | Oregon | 5.05 sec |
| Andrew Billings | Baylor | 5.05 sec |
| Branden Jackson | Texas Tech | 5.06 sec |
| Kenny Clark | UCLA | 5.06 sec |
| Sheldon Day | Notre Dame | 5.07 sec |
| Mehdi Abdesmad | Boston College | 5.10 sec |
| Jihad Ward | Illinois | 5.11 sec |
| DeVaunte Sigler | Jackson ville St. | 5.15 sec |
| Ronald Blair | Appalachian St. | 5.15 sec |
| Adolphus Washington | Ohio St. | 5.17 sec |
| Vincent Valentine | Nebraska | 5.19 sec |
| A'Shawn Robinson | Alabama | 5.20 sec |
| Jarran Reed | Alabama | 5.21 sec |
| Sterling Bailey | Georgia | 5.23 sec |
| Austin Johnson | Penn St. | 5.32 sec |
| Darius Latham | Indiana | 5.32 sec |
| Vernon Butler | Louisiana Tech | 5.32 sec |
| D.J. Reader | Clemson | 5.33 sec |
| Chris Myles | Georgia | 5.34 sec |
(Official times courtesy NFL.com)