Ranking the 5 slowest 40-times in NFL Combine history feat. Orlando Brown

The 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine essentially has a negligible effect on a player's NFL career, as long as they play within the parameters assigned to the position. Nonetheless, a player's draft value can be significantly impacted by how well or poorly they perform at the drill.

A mere few seconds off in their 40-yard sprint can cost some players millions of dollars in their rookie deal, a higher draft position, or worse, a chance to play in the NFL.

Rather than highlighting the athletes that left everyone in disbelief with their incredible 40-yard dash performances, in this article, we will highlight the poorest performers in drill history.

The players who have run the slowest 40-times in NFL Combine history are listed below.

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Slowest 40-times in NFL Combine history

1] Isaiah Thompson: 6.06 seconds

Finishing the 40-yard dash in the poorest time in NFL Combine history is perhaps the epitome of embarrassment.

Isaiah Thompson, a former offensive lineman for the University of Houston, has the unpleasant distinction after doing the drill in 6.06 seconds.

Thompson weighed 300 pounds and measured 75.38 inches when he arrived at the 2011 NFL Combine. But that's hardly a good enough reason to have such an awful 40-yard time when bigger guys have performed better in the drill.

Thompson eventually had a relatively short career in the league after failing to get selected in the 2011 draft.

2] Josh Oglesby: 5.80 seconds

Josh Oglesby had his hopes of becoming an NFL player crushed after a dismal performance at the 2012 Combine.

The University of Wisconsin is known for producing large linemen who often perform well in the NFL, but that wasn't the case with Oglesby.

The offensive tackle, who measured six-foot-seven inches and 338 pounds, was a staggering athlete when he arrived at the Combine.

Oglesby's major problem was that his weight had an impact on his knees; while at college, he underwent six knee surgeries.

There were already questions about whether NFL teams would take a gamble on Oglesby before the Combine. Concerns were raised over whether his knees were affecting his speed after his poor 40-yard sprint time of 5.80 seconds, which suggested a potential issue in future. Eventually, he was not drafted.

3] Palauni Ma Sun: 5.86-second

Palauni Ma Sun played football for the University of Oregon for two years before entering the NFL Draft in 2005.

Ma Sun was expected to be selected in the sixth or seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft because he had the kind of build every group would be interested to have on their offensive line: six-foot-five inch and 319 pounds. However, things didn't work out at the NFL Combine.

Ma Sun had the worst 40-yard sprint time in the 2007 Scouting Combine, clocking in at 5.86 seconds. He did not fare well in other drills either, with times of 3.34 seconds for the 20-yard split, 2.01 seconds for the 10-yard split and 22 repetitions for the bench press.

Sun signed with the Washington Redskins in May 2007 as a free agent despite not being selected in the draft. He has recently participated in arena football games with the Chicago Rush and the Spokane Shock.

4] Orlando Brown - 5.85 seconds

Orlando Brown might be the ideal illustration of why the physical examinations required by the Combine are occasionally exaggerated.

Brown was predicted to be a first-round selection in 2018, but after a dismal Combine performance, he fell all the way to the third round.

In 2018, Brown's time of 5.85 seconds for the 40-yard sprint was the slowest of any player. His bench press total of just 14 reps, 19.5-inch vertical jump and 82-inch broad jump were the lowest of any offensive lineman at the event.

Brown was eventually chosen by the Baltimore Ravens with the 83rd overall choice in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Over his career, Brown has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times. He has also won a Super Bowl once, with the Chiefs.

5] Damien Mama - 5.84 seconds

Despite being predicted to be a late choice in the 2017 draft, Damien Mama was not selected at all because of his dismal performance at the Combine.

The former USC guard weighed 340 pounds and stood six-foot-three inches when he arrived for the event. He floated his way to one of the slowest 40-yard sprint times in NFL history, at 5.84 seconds.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Mama as an undrafted free agent in 2017, giving him an opportunity despite his glaring lack of quickness, but he was later cut.

Mama did not sign another NFL contract after that, even though he tried out for a couple of teams, including the Dallas Cowboys in 2018.

Eventually, he played football professionally in the UFL and AAF. In February 2023, Mama signed a contract with the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL, but he was cut a month later.