The 40 Yards of Gold is a new tournament-like speed contest among NFL players scheduled for June 29, 2019. It is supposed to crown the fastest man in the NFL but the event is not affiliated with the league.
Twelve offensive players and twelve defensive players will go head to head with the winner of each division facing off in the final with the title of NFL’s fastest player at stake in this inaugural competition. Twenty-two participants have been named with two “mystery participants” ( one for each division ) also involved according to the organizers. Here are the competitors for the first ever 40 Yards of Gold:
Budda Baker, Donte Jackson, Charles James II, and a mystery participant.
In recent weeks, fans were asked to vote at www.40yardsofgold.com to determine the seeding for the competition. As a result, the organizers have gradually announced the matchups. So far, these are the confirmed opening round matches:
Here are the odds to win the 40 Yards of Gold. Odds from Bookmaker.eu as of 6/20/19:
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| John Franklin III | +558 |
| Field | +600 |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | +600 |
| Kevin Snead | +610 |
| Terrell Sinkfield | +610 |
| Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | +640 |
| Alvin Kamara | +800 |
| Robby Anderson | +816 |
| Donte Jackson | +816 |
| Budda Baker | +972 |
| Tarik Cohen | +1200 |
Ted Ginn Jr. claims to be the fastest man in the NFL and he claims to have run a 4.22 40-yard dash in college. That time couldn’t be verified but during the pre-draft workouts, Ginn was timed by scouts between 4.37 and 4.45 but that was in 2007. Kevin Snead ran a hand-timed 4.22 at Tennessee’s Pro Day in 2017.
John Franklin claims to have run a 4.19 in training. He clocked .13 slower in front of the public during the pre-draft workouts Terrell Sinkfield also ran a 4.19 at the Minnesota Pro-Day but that was in 2013 and Sinkfield is now 28 and has been playing pro football since 2013.
When you try to google the player name and then put the number 40 beside the name. You’re going to get a list of the 40s run by the player. But some of those times were unofficial or even just absurd claims. And even if they were true, most happened years ago so we don’t really have an idea who the fastest player in the NFL really is.
There are plenty of factors to look out for. Mileage is one because no matter how fast they claim they are, there are participants in this tournament who have been been in the NFL for a while now. That comes with the wear and tear of a physical game like football and league like the NFL. Likewise, names like Alvin Kamara, Robby Anderson, Tarik Cohen, and Ted Ginn Jr. are all franchise players. I’m not sure if they will risk getting hurt on an unofficial title.
There isn’t much data to work with here to come up with a solid pick. When you take a look at the odds board, there are ten names and an option that says field. The field of this competition is 24 and if you take out 10, there are 14 other competitors represented by “FIELD” which is pegged at +600. Not bad. Since I’m not sure which particular player to pick so I’ll just go with the rest of the field here. Prediction: Field +600
If you don’t buy my reasoning, that’s okay. But here are a couple of prop bets that I found at Bookmaker.eu. Check them out because I think the chances here are much better:
While preparing for the 2018 NFL draft, the trainer of John Franklin III claimed that the cornerback ran a 4.19 during a football workout. Franklin wasn’t invited to the NFL Draft Combine but he did participate in the National Scouting Combine. There, he recorded a 4.44 run as timed by lasers and 4.32 as measured by a stop-watch. That’s fast enough but still not fast enough for a 4.29.
I didn’t bother to check on the other players’ 40-dash times but if the top football betting favorite to win the 40 Yards of Gold ran it at 4.44 or 4.32 when he was still trying to impress NFL scouts at the combine, I’ll guess he won’t top 4.29 as an established NFL player already. The stakes are different, regardless of how much money and pride is at stake here. So yes, I don’t think someone is going to run faster than 4.29. Prediction: No -125
Franklin is a defensive player and he is the odds-on favorite. But remember that Ginn, Snead, Sinkfield, Kamara, Anderson, and Cohen are offensive players. That said, with more offensive players in the odds board, I think that the winner will come from that side of the field. Prediction: Offensive player -135
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