Not a lot of players in the NFL run a sub 4.30 40-yard dash time.
Eastern Washington RB Taiwan Jones ran his 40-yard dash during his Pro Day on Thursday and was clocked from 4.29 to 4.35 on all stopwatches.
The running back checks in at 6’1″, 196 pounds and showed that he has recovered from his late season foot injury. Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson set a combine record with a 4.24 40-yard dash time, so Jones isn’t far behind.
This is most likely going to boost Jones’s draft stock up even though he was already named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year. Jones played in the FCS (basically Division II) so he’s not too high on a lot of teams radars. The Cover Two draft analyst Josh Gleason has Jones ranked as the 11th best overall running back in the 2011 draft.
Also at his pro day, Jones put up an 11-foot broad jump (best among RB’s in combine, second best overall behind Julio Jones) and a 39.5-inch vertical leap (third best among combine RB’s).
Jones is a very versatile back who can run, catch, and return. In 31 games for the Eagles, Jones carried the ball 383 times for 2,955 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also caught 64 passes for 903 yards and seven touchdowns, and took 50 kick returns for 1,134 yards and one touchdown.
He’s projected to be drafted somewhere between the third and fourth round, but teams in the middle (or early) third round may take a chance on the speedy back.