Breaking down fastest 2022 NFL players using Next Gen Stats originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

How fast do you have to be to make it to the NFL? This is a question that many rookies have to consider on their trek to making it to the big leagues.

The NFL flourishes with some of the speediest athletes on the planet and the stats prove it. NFL’s Next Gen Stats has been tracking ball carrier speed since 2016 and can determine a player’s top speed with possession.

Let’s take a look at their latest data for the 2022 season to pinpoint who the title for fastest NFL player goes to:

Who is the fastest single NFL player in 2022?

Here are the fastest ball carriers in the NFL this season, as detected by Next Gen Stats:

1. Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens WR: 21.6 mph

2. Tariq Woolen, Seattle Seahawks DB: 21.58 mph

3. Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens WR: 21.48 mph

4. Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers WR: 21.46 mph

5. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants RB: 21.11 mph

6. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys RB: 21.11 mph

7. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals RB: 21.11 mph

8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions WR: 21.09 mph

9. Kavontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys WR: 21.09 mph

10. Michael Jackson, Seattle Seahawks CB: 21.05 mph

Devin Duvernay takes the cake as the fastest ball carrier this season so far. He reached a speed of 21.6 mph, which also triumphs last year’s fastest speed of 21.52 mph by Melvin Gordon. Duvernay achieved the feat on a 103-yard kickoff return touchdown during the first quarter of a Baltimore-Miami faceoff.

Is Tyreek Hill the quickest player in the league right now?

Despite popular belief, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is far from the quickest player in the league at the moment. 

In fact, the 28-year-old star is not even in the top 20, according to Next Gen Stats. 

Hill was not one of the 10 fastest players during the 2021-22 season either, however, he did make the list during the 2020-21 season. He was fifth with a 21.91-mph play during Week 14 while on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Who is the fastest NFL player ever?

Though we can’t exactly say who the fastest player ever is, considering the NFL did not introduce Next Gen Stats until 2016, we can pinpoint the speediest NFL player since 2016. 

If we frame the question that way, the title of fastest NFL player goes to the one and only, Hill. In 2016, Hill reached a top-speed of 23.24 mph on a kickoff return against the Houston Texans. 

Who were the fastest NFL players in 2021?

These were the fastest ball carriers during the 2021 season:

1. Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos RB: 21.52 mph

2. Sammy Watkins, Baltimore Ravens WR: 21.05 mph

3. Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens WR: 21.01 mph

4. Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears RB: 20.88 mph

5. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears RB: 20.80 mph

6. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals RB: 20.66 mph

7. Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans WR: 20.62 mph

8. Henry Ruggs, Las Vegas Raiders WR: 20.62 mph

9. Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills WR: 20.52 mph

10. Anthony Schwartz, Cleveland Browns WR: 20.43 mph