The Dolphins were already a scary fast team in 2022 when they had Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert to an offense that already featured Jaylen Waddle. Then they went out and drafted running back De’Von Achane to add to all that speed.
Now, is there anyone that can keep up with that team? Through the first six games of the season, it sure doesn’t seem like it. According to Stathead, only six teams in NFL history have scored more points after six games than the Dolphins: Peyton Manning’s 2013 Broncos, the 2000 edition of The Greatest Show on Turf, Drew Brees’ 2009 Saints, Tom Brady’s 2007 Patriots and two teams before the merger.
While it’s easy enough to look at points scored, it’s another thing to compare pure speed. Few would deny Miami is the fastest team in the NFL this season, based on its four offensive stars. But how do they compare historically, and perhaps with athletes in other sports?
Sporting News is diving into the Dolphins’ impressive speed numbers to see just how explosive this offense really is.
Tyreek Hill 40 time
Hill was not a participant in the 2016 NFL Combine due to a domestic abuse arrest. The South Alabama wide receiver ran at his school’s Pro Day, and was clocked in at a 4.29 40-yard dash.
De’Von Achane 40 time
Achane ran at the 2023 NFL Combine, and posted a time of 4.32 in the 40-yard dash, perhaps a surprising time given his top speeds posted in the 2023 NFL season.
Raheem Mostert 40 time
Back in the 2015 NFL Draft, Mostert posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.34 seconds, sixth-fastest in the class, while also making him on paper the slowest of the Dolphins’ speedy trio.
Jaylen Waddle 40 time
Waddle opted not to participate in the 2021 NFL Combine, so like Hill, he does not have an official number. But according to NFL GameDay, he has posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds.
The Dolphins’ quartet are not just one of the fastest groups this year, but they are one of the fastest in recent history.
There are several ways to evaluate how fast players are. The first, and most common for fans, is to look at times in the 40-yard dash.
Hill, Achane, Mostert and Waddle collectively average a 40-yard dash time of 4.33 based on combine numbers and best reported numbers for those who did not participate in the NFL combine. Data from the NFL combine is only available going back to 2000 on ProFootballReference, but based on those numbers, it puts that group of players in rare air.
Here’s a look at the only other quartets of skill position players on the same NFL roster that combined to average a 40 time of 4.33 or better. Bear in mind, these players were not all starters.
Those offenses might have had speed, but that didn’t mean they were always the best. The Raiders averaged the sixth-most points in the NFL in 2010 and were 16th in 2011, while the 2015 Cardinals were second in scoring average in their respective season.
Over time, players get faster or slow down, and 40 times are not always the most representative of how athletes will run while wearing pads and helmets and running routes. But since the start of 2016, the NFL has collected tracking data for any players that have carried the football as part of its Next Gen Stats. Plays tracked are only on rushes, receptions, interceptions, fumble recoveries and fumble and punt returns.
Through the first six weeks of the season, the Dolphins impressively have all five of the top five fastest speeds tracked, and seven of the top 10. Here’s a look at the top 10 fastest times tracked by Next Gen Stats.