Ohio State's Denzel Ward officially ran the 40-yard dash in a time of 4.32 seconds on Monday, tying him with two other cornerbacks for the fastest 40 time recorded at this year's NFL Scouting Combine.
LSU's Donte Jackson and Tulane's Parry Nickerson also completed the 40 in 4.32 seconds.
Unless a safety runs a faster time than 4.32 seconds in Monday's final group of workouts, which would be unexpected, Ward will leave Indianapolis as one of the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine's fastest men.
You can watch Ward's blazing-fast run in the video below:
Ward's 40 time is not only one of the fastest 40 times at this year's combine, but one of the fastest times ever run by an Ohio State player. Since the NFL Scouting Combine began using electronic timing, only Curtis Samuel – who ran a 4.31-second 40 last year – ran faster.
Ward is the 10th Buckeye since 2000 to run a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
| Player | Year | Position | 40 Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| CURTIS SAMUEL | 2017 | WR | 4.31 |
| DENZEL WARD | 2018 | CB | 4.32 |
| KEN-YON RAMBO | 2001 | WR | 4.34 |
| SANTONIO HOLMES | 2006 | WR | 4.35 |
| DREW CARTER | 2004 | WR | 4.36 |
| MARSHON LATTIMORE | 2017 | CB | 4.36 |
| NATE CLEMENTS | 2001 | CB | 4.38 |
| CHIMDI CHEKWA | 2011 | CB | 4.38 |
| REGGIE GERMANY | 2001 | WR | 4.39 |
| BRADLEY ROBY | 2014 | CB | 4.39 |
Ward also had the fastest 10-yard split (1.47 seconds) among all participants in this year's combine, according to NFLDraftScout's Dane Brugler, following in the footsteps of fellow former Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore (1.48 seconds), who had the fastest 10-yard split in 2017.
Ward was expected to participate in a full workout on Monday, but decided not to participate in positional drills after tweaking his ankle last week, he told NFL Network's Kimberly Jones. That ankle injury didn't stop Ward, though, from showing the speed that could make him the No. 1 cornerback off the board in this year's draft.
Ward also had the combine's longest broad jump (11 feet, 4 inches), posted a 39-inch vertical and also had 16 repetitions of 225 pounds in the bench press on Sunday. But he will hold off on all other drills until Ohio State's pro day on March 22.
