how fast can professional football players run 400m

RD wrote:

I think you're overestimating football players, especially the WRs. They train for what, 10-12 seconds max? Not exactly the same as a 50 second race. They'd throw down some super competitive 100 times, and decent 200s, but by 250-300m the bear would jump on their back and they'd be sucking MAJOR wind down the home straight.

DING DING DING we have a winner

1:56_4:25_9:45 wrote:

all of you people who are dropping times that professional athletes have run are missing the point. those times were run WHILE THEY WERE ON THE HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE TRACK TEAM. not while they were in the NFL. they are different athletes now. as the football players that they are, with their anaerobic training and bulky muscle mass, can anyone in the NFL break 50? i would say definitely not.

Exactly!

Roger Black Oly Silver & regular sub 45 ran a 400m for a bet at the end of his annual few weeks rest period. He was well oustide 50

I think we need to come up with a more specific question.

Is this is track shape, given say a year to train, or is this pulling them straight from the football field?

I would be willing to bet that a lot of guys could run 48-49 straight off the field, and these guys with training could run 46-47, maybe one or two could sneak into the 45 high range. These guys are the exceptions though, the wide receivers and dbs, with some select running backs.

Running backs on linebackers I would say are probably 1-2 seconds slower on average. A few might break 50 off the field and get to 46-47 with some serious training, and I would bet that most of them could run 48-49 with some training.

The one that people keep saying that blows my mind is about defensive ends. Sure these guys are explosive, but they are pure explosion with nothing to back it up. In college if I had trained for the 400 i might have been able to run 49.999, and that's a stretch and I doubt any ends could do this. They would smoke me out of the blocks and I would walk them down at around 250-300 or so.

Oh, and to the guys at letsplayfootball.com, I went to college with a sub 29:00 track and DI cross country AA who could bench appx 225 mid season.

Some of you guys are mistaken.

Remember those guys on your 4x4 team? The ones on my schools 4x4 team were about 52 second guys. The only real training they did was during football season. I'm SURE most people in the NFL can break 55, Lineman included. Almost all WRs and DBs can break 50.

In the Sugar bowl last night the announcers were saying that Tony Pike of Cincinnati ran a 48. in high school. If a college white boy quarterback can do it, I guarantee PLENTY of pro players can do it no problem.

Lineman running sub 55 though? Thats a completely different story, you're out of your f*cking mind. Those guys need 30 minutes recovery after running the field once, never mind 400 meters.

1:56_4:25_9:45 wrote:

all of you people who are dropping times that professional athletes have run are missing the point. those times were run WHILE THEY WERE ON THE HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE TRACK TEAM. not while they were in the NFL. they are different athletes now. as the football players that they are, with their anaerobic training and bulky muscle mass, can anyone in the NFL break 50? i would say definitely not.

Are you saying no one in the NFL can break 50 for 400m???

Would you bet on that? I bet that more than 50% of DB can do it. I suspect that the % is in the 90%+ range, but I'll bet on 50%+.

I think that 46-47 is beyond 90%+ of DBs.

unsure wrote:

1:56_4:25_9:45 wrote:

all of you people who are dropping times that professional athletes have run are missing the point. those times were run WHILE THEY WERE ON THE HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE TRACK TEAM. not while they were in the NFL. they are different athletes now. as the football players that they are, with their anaerobic training and bulky muscle mass, can anyone in the NFL break 50? i would say definitely not.

Are you saying no one in the NFL can break 50 for 400m???

Would you bet on that? I bet that more than 50% of DB can do it. I suspect that the % is in the 90%+ range, but I'll bet on 50%+.

I think that 46-47 is beyond 90%+ of DBs.

TrackingFootball says: The 400 is a very tough sprinting event because it taxes both the anaerobic and aerobic systems. What this event lacks in pure football speed extrapolation it makes up for in the intangibles area, like sprinting an entire lap in all kinds of wind and weather conditions.

Players with verifiable 400 speed that translated to the NFL:

One of best examples of great football players that ran the 400 in high school was former Minnesota Viking and Ohio State RB, Robert Smith. Smith ran the 400 in sub-47 while at Euclid HS in Ohio. In addition, Smith was a state champion 100 meter sprinter and 4×400 relay NCAA

Other players with verifiable 400 speed:

Ricardo Lockette – Current Seahawk special teamer and receiver was 48.78 / 400 state champion in Georgia

Antonio Cromartie – Current Cardinals cornerback was 46.39 / 400 sprinter at FSU

Nolan Cromwell – Former Rams great was 48.9 / 440 state champion and ran on very fast mile relay at Kansas U.

Santonio Holmes – Former Steelers and Jets receiver was sub-50 400 sprinter and state meet qualifier in Florida

Cris Dishman – Former Purdue and Houston Oiler cornerback was sub-48 400 state champion in Kentucky

Pat Johnson – Former Oregon Duck and Ravens receiver ran sub-45 400 at Oregon

David Gettis – Current NFL receiver with Buccaneers and former high school state champion in 400 (45.84) in Cali

Bennie Blades – Former Detroit Lion safety and Miami Hurricane great was 47.1 / 440 state champion in Florida

to name just a few of the thousands more that can be seen here.

Another football example of high school 400 meter speed was former West Virginia and Raiders receiver / kick returner, James Jett. Jett was a state champion 400 meter sprinter (47.72) in addition to winning the 100 and 200. He was a Gold Medal winner at the 1992 Olympics in the 400 relay, he was extremely

Here is Bo Jackson getting run down by a 400 meter NCAA champion. Bo ran about 100 meters on that play; the next 300 would have pretty tough for him:

https://youtu.be/jwVlF6zfoLM