Xavier Worthy vs Usain Bolt 40 time: Is Texas WR faster than eight-time Olympic gold medalist?

Xavier Worthy lived up to his name, as he gave a performance in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine that would make Usain Bolt proud.

The Texas wide receiver ran the distance in a phenomenal 4.21 seconds. In the process, he set the record for the fastest time in the event. The previous record belonged to John Ross III, who achieved it in 2017 with a time of 4.22 seconds,

The Olympic champion, who had given the 40-yard dash a try too, also recorded 4.22 seconds. That means Xavier Worthy's time is better than that of Usain Bolt's by 0.01 second.

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Reality a bit more nuanced as Xavier Worthy unlikely to beat Usain Bolt anytime soon

While such explosive speed is indeed praiseworthy, saying that the Texas wide receiver is as fast as Usain Bolt is misleading.

First of all, when the Olympic record-holder ran the dash, he was dressed in casuals and not wearing any cleats. He had nothing riding on it and even with that he ended up tying the previous record in 2019.

Therefore, one can argue that Usain Bolt would be much faster than Xavier Worthy if he takes it seriously. While such a matchup might be purely hypothetical, we can take a rough stab at how it would look like.

The Jamaican legend holds the world record for the 100-meter dash at 9:58 seconds. Hundred meters is roughly equal to 110 yards.

Thus, we can surmise that if he takes 9:58 seconds to cover 110 yards, then he covers one yard in 0.0871 seconds. Hence, for 40 yards, he would need 3.48 seconds.

Another way to look at this is to say that in one second he covers 11.482 yards. Therefore, to cover 40 yards, he would need a sub 3:50 time, as calculated above.

That puts into perspective just how fast Usain Bolt is. Based on his world record speed, he would smash the 40-yard dash record by 0.7 seconds. Xavier Worthy cannnot come anwyhere near that speed.

Then again, he does not need to. He will be playing against footballers and not Olympic track athletes. In that regard, what matters more is his collegiate success. Over three years, he has more than 2,750 yards in just 39 starts.

He has also recorded 26 touchdowns in that period, averaging two touchdowns every three games. His career average yards per reception is 14.0. Those are great numbers, which show his ability to separate and catch the ball safely.

The NFL does not require form runners; it requires route runners. Of course, as with any rookie, there are things he could do better. One of them is his ability to get caught in press coverage and not able to release cleanly. Another is his perceived weakness in contested situations due to his wiry frame.

In fact, that's a line of questioning that has been thrown about after Xavier Worthy's record-breaking attempt. He weighed 165 lbs, which is very slim. There were opinions that had he compromized a bit on the speed and showed the genreal managers that he also has body mass and strength to fight in the NFL, it would have been better.

For now, though, the Texas wide receiver holds the record for the fastest 40-yard dash, and that's expected to get him into a good spot in professional football.

However, if he thinks that he can use his rapidity to take on an Olympic star like Usain Bolt, he needs to be disabused of that notion. Each is an exceptional athlete in their own field.