Is there any NFL player that could currently run a 4:30 mile?

Wasn't Ron Clarke 6'0 and 170 some ibs? Derek Clayton was 6'0 and 165 ibs. Abel Mutai was 6'1.5 and 160 ibs.

Kareem Hunt can. Disclaimer: It can be only done in a hotel lobby when Mr Hunt is charging a female who angered him.

OBJ - 4:11

Michael Thomas - 4:09

Tyreek Hill - 3:42 (New WR)

Tom Brady - 7:05

Eli Manning - 8:06

Aaron Donald - 4:59

John Walker v. Ted Ginn Jr wrote:

Think This One Through wrote:

Ted Ginn Jr. is a power packed, muscular 5-11, 180 pounder - that's too big to be running 4:30 miles. I see HS & college 5-11, 140 pounders run 4:30 miles not bigger football built dudes.

John Walker, 6' 168 lbs., sub-3:50 mile v. Ted Ginn Jr., 5'11" 180 lbs., ten to fifteen years ago, he had the potential to race sub-4:30 one mile.

I know some of letsrun community had high school 170 lbs. (+) 400m teammates who were capable of sub-2:05 800m. I am sure everyone on team wondered what those 400m guys could race for a mile.

John Walker is listed as 163 lbs. 163 on a 6' foot frame is not that big. Many HS varsity basketball point guards are that size. Walker looks very lean in his photos.

OTOH, 180 lbs on 5-11 frame (Ginn Jr.) is whole different story (you guys do any coaching at all?). So, go find me some HS kids who are 180 lbs, and are no taller than *5-11* who can run a 4:30 mile. And don't throw in some 180 pounder who's like 6-4 or 6-5 because that doesn't count when you factor in body density. Short, stocky distance runners generally have less than ideal running economy compared to the taller leaner guys.

you'd be surprised. some of the NFL players were former college and HS track stars.

Lol no one doubts that NFL players were former track stars. They do some Tyreek Hill comparison against Usain Bolt every Sunday Night Football. The thing is that I've never once seen one star RB or WR enter in a 1600m run, ever. They run events under 400m or jumps, they dont want to run distance, nor is it what they are best at (or conditioned for it). What makes them so fast is their fast twitch muscles and power, so I doubt they are capable of sub-5 out the gate. Far from 4:30 unless they put some weeks of specific training.

With training, yeah sure. No doubt in my mind. 4:30 isn't some kind of elite mile performance.

Probably a field gold kicker who is a former Soccer player that still does a lot of cardio could do it. But a running back or something I doubt, just watch Carl Lewis try to do a 800m race:

https://youtu.be/DTlrdczjjOA

Michael Dickson the Seahawks punter would go very close.

Amerikano wrote:

Lol no one doubts that NFL players were former track stars. They do some Tyreek Hill comparison against Usain Bolt every Sunday Night Football. The thing is that I've never once seen one star RB or WR enter in a 1600m run, ever. They run events under 400m or jumps, they dont want to run distance, nor is it what they are best at (or conditioned for it). What makes them so fast is their fast twitch muscles and power, so I doubt they are capable of sub-5 out the gate. Far from 4:30 unless they put some weeks of specific training.

With training, yeah sure. No doubt in my mind. 4:30 isn't some kind of elite mile performance.

Yeah...sure, not elite but how many avid runners from the HS level all the way up to masters have the ability to run a 4:30 mile? ?

Yes, as long as they have a rest every 5 seconds like in what you call a sport.

Sand Dunes wrote:

Probably a field gold kicker who is a former Soccer player that still does a lot of cardio could do it. But a running back or something I doubt, just watch Carl Lewis try to do a 800m race:

Hall of Fame receiver (and 27 ft long jumper) James Lofton ran 2:03. Not bad.

elephino wrote:

Sand Dunes wrote:

Probably a field gold kicker who is a former Soccer player that still does a lot of cardio could do it. But a running back or something I doubt, just watch Carl Lewis try to do a 800m race:

Hall of Fame receiver (and 27 ft long jumper) James Lofton ran 2:03. Not bad.

Looks like Lewis, Gault, and Nehemiah (all sprinters/hurdlers, two NFL players) were around 2:18. Not surprising and I doubt they could break 5 for the mile.

about what I expected wrote:

Looks like Lewis, Gault, and Nehemiah (all sprinters/hurdlers, two NFL players) were around 2:18. Not surprising and I doubt they could break 5 for the mile.

Gault broke 11 seconds in the 100m in his 50s. Nothing to do with running a mile, but that's pretty cool.

Truth B. Told wrote:

you're blowing smoke wrote:

It takes no more than a little though to realize this claim is bogus. In a football game each team has significantly less than 100 offensive plays and WRs and DBs run much less than 100 yards on each play. 100 x 100 yards is less than 6 miles and players get nowhere near this total yardage.

Bogus indeed. In an average NFL game the ball is actually in play for only about 11 minutes or less; that's for both teams. Each platoon would only be on the field for about half of that, so we're supposed to believe that some of the skill positions are covering 6 miles in 5 minutes and change? Please.

Let's take a D1 10k distance runner, let's say on average they run 90-120 mpw, maybe a lil more, maybe a lil less depending on the program..all that running for a 10k, usually less than 30 minutes of running for a race around the track..

I don't think many of you understand the amount of running skill players in college and the NFL do in their training and practice to be able to perform in the games just like a distance runner for their particular event. These guys train year round, and will run miles (in intervals) on any given day during the off season. Antonio Brown has said in the off season he goes for regular 5 mile runs just to shake the legs up and get his aerobic capacity up.

For the idiots posting about lineman, just stop it. Who in their right mind would believe a lineman can run a 4:30 mile? I'd still put my money on a skill player to come damn close to a 4:30 mile if not below it depending on their build and youthfulness. A young Ted Ginn would have absolutely run a 4:30 mile by the way.

The Dingo wrote:

The current shape that they're in, not if they trained specifically. A friend and I were debating.

You figure the only ones who would have a chance are cornerbacks, safetys, wide receivers, running backs, and a select few quarter backs. Linebackers, lineman, tight ends, etc. are way too big.

My initial thought was no. But after thinking, and given the huge number of athletes in the NFL, I could see it being possible.

Ashton Eaton has a best 1500 m of 4:14, which is the equivalent of a 4:32 mile. Now this was at the end of the competition, which means he was quite tired. What he could do fresh is anyone's guess but I'd predict around 4:25. That being said, could an NFL player run a 4:30? I doubt it.

Not sure who Antonio Brown is, but just because he slobs around and does a 5 mile run does mean he can run a 4:30. Maybe Ginn could have, but that just another woulda-coulda-shoulda. Let us all know when a football player actually does a 4:30.

elephino wrote:

Hall of Fame receiver (and 27 ft long jumper) James Lofton ran 2:03. Not bad.

Like I said earlier, Jeremy Bloom ran 2:00 at Superstars in 2003. He was also a state champ in the 4X400. If the combine had a mile run there would be a number of athletes that would break 4:30. Like it or not, the best male athletes in this country play professional football and basketball, not track. There are a lot of high school football players that fall back on track, there are not many track athletes that fall back on football.

There are 32 teams with 53 players, about 30 of those players on each play positions where they are too big to have any chance. That leaves 23 x 30, or 736 players that might have a shot. I'd guess in a sample size that big, there is at least one guy that can do it. How many High Schools with 736 boys don't have one 4:30 miler? We're not asking the guy to be world class, 4:30 is mid pack in a good high school race.

There is one wrote:

There are 32 teams with 53 players, about 30 of those players on each play positions where they are too big to have any chance. That leaves 23 x 30, or 736 players that might have a shot. I'd guess in a sample size that big, there is at least one guy that can do it. How many High Schools with 736 boys don't have one 4:30 miler? We're not asking the guy to be world class, 4:30 is mid pack in a good high school race.

That may well be. I think most see 4:30 and think thats a chump change mile time, anyone should be able to do it. That is, unless one tries to run one, that has never done so before. Also remember, your typical HS/collegiate mid distance runner is between 130 and 150 pounds. As stated previously, assuming a fresh Ashton Eaton could run around 4:25 (based on his 4:14 1500 to 4:32 mile conversion, when tired after 9 events) then 4:30 for an NFL player I don't think achievable.............without lots of weight loss and mile specific training. Also remember the post asked if an NFL player could "currently" run one.............meaning on football training and at present weight. I don't think so.