NFL combine 2026: Brenen Thompson answers Xavier Worthy hype with fastest 40-yard dash of the week

Brenen Thompson's 40-yard dash time sent a jolt through Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 28, and it did not take long for the buzz to spread across the league. The Mississippi State wide receiver ripped off a 4.26-second sprint on his first attempt at the 2026 NFL combine, the fastest time recorded this year.

In a building packed with scouts and decision-makers, stopwatches were lowered and heads turned. Speed like that does not hide.That 4.26 officially tied for the fifth-best 40-yard dash in combine history. It also confirmed what many evaluators believed coming in. Thompson had trained for this moment with one clear goal. He wanted to flirt with history. He did not break the 4.21 record set by Xavier Worthy in 2024, but he came close enough to force a double take.

As Xavier Worthy’s record stands tall, Brenen Thompson explodes with fastest 40 at NFL combine

Thompson’s 4.26 came on his first run. His second attempt was an unofficial 4.30. Only Lorenzo Styles Jr., the Ohio State safety, came close this year with a 4.27. For wide receivers since 2003, only Worthy and John Ross, who ran 4.22 in 2017, have posted faster marks. That places Thompson in rare air.

To understand the weight of that number, consider the names ahead of him all time. Worthy at 4.21. Ross at 4.22. Kalon Barnes at 4.23.

Chris Johnson at 4.24. Thompson’s 4.26 now sits alongside times posted by DJ Turner II, Riq Woolen and Dri Archer. That is elite company, no matter how you frame it.Yet Thompson is more than a stopwatch number. The Spearman, Texas native transferred from Oklahoma before the 2025 season and delivered one of the most productive years in Mississippi State history. He set a single-season school record with 1,054 receiving yards and scored six touchdowns.

One of them, a 58-yard game-winner against Arizona State, remains a defining highlight. He averaged nearly 40 yards per touchdown during his college career and routinely flipped games with one touch.At 5-foot-9 and 164 pounds, teams will debate how he fits. Some project him as a slot weapon. Others see a gadget option who can stress defenses and impact special teams. Current mock drafts place him as a second-day selection, though opinions vary. If selected, he would become Mississippi State’s first drafted wide receiver since Eric Moulds in 1996, a detail not lost on Bulldogs fans.Speed opens doors in the NFL. Thompson just kicked his wide open.