Draft Risk or Hidden Gem? Broncos' Pick of Pat Bryant Sparks 40-Time Controversy

When the Denver Broncos were on the clock with the 74th overall selection in the NFL draft, they shocked many by selecting Illinois wideout Pat Bryant. Bryant was expected to get drafted, but in the fourth or fifth round, and while teams have their respective big boards, the Broncos taking him in the third was a bit of a concern, especially with his 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds. 

Sure, Bryant is an excellent blocker, and his hands were among the best in the class, but at the NFL level, you have to get separation. He struggled with that at the collegiate level, and it's only going to get harder to separate at the NFL level as the game gets faster.

So, how concerning is Bryant's 40-yard dash time? 

Well, over the last 10 years (2015-2024), 22 wide receivers have been drafted after running a 4.6-second 40 or slower. If you include the 2025 draft, 24 such receivers have been drafted, but since those two rookies haven’t played in the NFL yet, we'll exclude them. 

Of those 22 receivers, only four were drafted in the first three rounds. Now, there could be more receivers who would run in 4.6 or worse, but there isn’t an official Combine 40 time known for them.

Let’s take examine these 4.6 receivers and how they've fared in the NFL.

There's a long list of players drafted after the first three rounds who haven’t panned out or were a flash in the pan, with some moderate success. Kelvin Harmon had a flash-in-the-pan rookie season in 2019, catching 30 passes for 365 yards, but he hasn’t caught a pass since, as he suffered an ACL injury prior to the 2020 season. 

Auden Tate had a four-year stint with the Cincinnati Bengals as a 253rd overall pick and had a 40-catch, 575-yard season in 2019, his second career season. Since then, there has been almost nothing from Tate. So, two late-round flashes, but let’s look at those picks in the top-three rounds, like Bryant was. 

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David Bell was the Cleveland Browns' 99th overall pick in 2022. In three seasons, he has six starts, 41 catches for 408 yards, and three touchdowns.

It's safe to say that Bell hasn’t worked out for the Browns, who need receiver help. A big issue has been his inability to get open, along with some drops. 

Devin Funchess was a second-round pick and had a promising start to his career. Over his first two seasons, he had 54 catches for 844 yards before emerging in Year 3 with 63 catches for 849 yards and helping the Carolina Panthers make the playoffs.

In Year 4, Funchess' production took a hit, and then he left for Indianapolis in free agency, where he broke his collarbone and missed the season, essentially. He bounced around for a while and is now out of the NFL. 

Keon Coleman was the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 second round, so the jury is still out on him. He had an auspicious rookie year, catching 29 passes for 556 yards, and is poised for a bigger step forward in 2025 as the Buffalo Bills' top receiver. 

The final receiver is the most significant exception in the last 10 years with Cooper Kupp. He was one of the NFL's best receivers for years, including two seasons over 1,000 yards and nearly hitting 2,000 yards in one of them.

Kupp measured at 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds at the NFL Combine, which is almost identical to Bryant's. The only difference was the arm length, where Bryant was 33-⅛ inches, and Kupp was 33-½. Measurements aren’t everything, but when you read their respective scouting reports, Kupp and Bryant's strengths and weaknesses are similar. 

The Takeaway

So, the recent history of receivers with a 4.6-second or slower 40 time isn’t great. There have been a few flashes in the pan, one unknown, and one great receiver over the last decade.

There's reason to be concerned about Bryant due to this aspect of his game. However, he has something those other receivers did not: Sean Payton, who has shown time and time again that he knows how to maximize his players, especially those he hand-selects.