Who is the slowest NFL player?
Isaiah Thompson played college football at the University of Houston. Thompson spent all four years in Houston before declaring for the NFL draft after his senior season. The former Houston product had a massive NFL frame.
Isaiah Thompson stood 6'4" and weighed in at 300lbs going into the NFL draft combine. Like all other NFL draft prospects, Thompson was looking to use the combine to help his draft stock. Unfortunately, Isaiah Thompson is known for the slowest 40-yard dash in the last ten years.
Isaiah Thompson runs a 6.06 second 40-yard dash at the 2011 NFL Combine
Isaiah Thompson's 6.06 second 40-yard dash time has him at the top of the slowest 40-yard dash times in the last ten years. Thompson went into the NFL combine looking to improve his draft stock, but his 40-yard dash time hurt him majorly. He went undrafted and is no longer in the NFL.
This brings the question - who are the players that came close to matching the 6 second 40-yard dash time that Isaiah Thompson posted in 2011?
Josh Oglesby (Wisconsin), 2012 NFL Combine
The former Wisconsin Badger offensive tackle posted a 40-yard dash time of 5.8 seconds during the 2012 NFL combine. Oglesby suffered six knee surgeries while in college in Wisconsin.
Johnnie Troutman (Penn State), 2012 NFL Combine
Johnnie Troutman recorded a 40-yard dash time of 5.76 seconds. It was the second slowest time at the 2012 NFL combine. Troutman spent little time in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers.
Richard Henry (Nebraska), 2011 NFL Combine
Richard Henry posted a time of 5.68 seconds in his 40-yard dash attempt at the 2011 NFL combine. It was the same NFL combine in which Isaiah Thompson recorded his 6.06 second 40-yard dash time.
How long will Isaiah Thompson's 40-yard dash time remain the slowest?
With each positional group becoming more athletic and making sure they are ready for the combine, it will be tough to dethrone Isaiah Thompson. NFL draft prospects are getting faster. The slowest time at the 2020 NFL combine was a 5.3 second 40-yard dash.
That may seem close to Isaiah Thompson's six seconds, but it's farther away than it looks. It took ten years for Thompson to break the slowest of times and it could take another ten years before someone dethrones him as the slowest NFL player.