Montez Sweat breaks NFL combine record for 40-yard dash by defensive linemen

Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat made an incredible impression at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine by recording the fastest 40-yard dash time ever by a defensive lineman. The 6-6, 260-pound lineman posted a blistering official time of 4.41 seconds, more than one-tenth of a second better than anyone else from his position in this year’s class.

It’s also the fastest time for a DL since the NFL started tracking all combine data in 2003.

Sweat, a two-time All-SEC selection after transferring from Michigan State to Mississippi State in 2016, is expected to be one of the top linemen selected in the upcoming draft. He put up stellar numbers in his two seasons with the Bulldogs, including 14.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks during the 2018 season.

The talented pass rusher is ranked 19th in this year’s class by Scouts Inc., and only seems to be helping his stock with his showing at the combine.

No other defensive lineman in this year’s combine posted a 40 time below 4.50, according to NFL Research. Florida State’s Brian Burns posted the second-best time at 4.53 seconds.

Here’s another fun list of players who didn’t run the 40 as quickly as Sweat did.