Matt Breida was the fastest NFL player in 2019 based on the fastest ball carrier metric by Next Gen Stats, reaching a season-leading 22.30 mph on an 83-yard touchdown run for the San Francisco 49ers. Cordarrelle Patterson finished second at 22.23 mph, while Brandon Wilson ranked third at 22.03 mph.
This ranking measures the highest speed reached while a player possessed the football during a regular-season play. It is based on NFL Next Gen Stats tracking, not 40-yard dash times, and it includes rushing attempts, receptions, returns and interception returns. For broader historical context, compare these results with the fastest NFL players ever.
Table of Contents
Fastest NFL Players in 2019: Key Facts
- Fastest ball carrier: Matt Breida, 22.30 mph.
- Margin at the top: Breida led Cordarrelle Patterson by 0.07 mph.
- Fastest player listed at wide receiver: Cordarrelle Patterson, 22.23 mph.
- Fastest defensive-position player: Brandon Wilson, 22.03 mph.
- Top-10 cutoff: Mecole Hardman ranked 10th at 21.74 mph.
- Official table scope: The complete Next Gen Stats table contains 20 plays by 18 players.
How the 2019 NFL Ball-Carrier Speed Ranking Works
This is an objective ranking of the highest ball-carrier speeds recorded by NFL Next Gen Stats during the 2019 regular season. Preseason and postseason plays are excluded. The individual analysis counts down the top 10, while the complete table near the bottom includes all 20 plays displayed on the official leaderboard.
Every play is ranked separately, so a player can appear more than once. Saquon Barkley and Mecole Hardman each appear twice in the complete top 20. Next Gen Stats officially places Christian McCaffrey fourth and Nick Chubb fifth even though both display as 21.95 mph. It also ranks Darren Waller eighth and Barkley ninth at a displayed 21.76 mph, so this article follows the published order instead of creating shared ranks.
Top speed is useful, but it does not settle every football argument. Longer plays provide more room to accelerate, while running backs often have to clear traffic before reaching open field. This list captures the highest gear each player reached with the ball, not who had the quickest first step, the fastest 40-yard dash or the best overall season.
Fastest NFL Ball Carriers of the 2019 Season
10. Mecole Hardman: 21.74 mph
Team: Kansas City Chiefs; Play: 83-yard touchdown reception against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.
Hardman caught the short pass in stride and split Baltimore’s pursuit for an 83-yard touchdown. His 21.74 mph sprint secured the final top-10 position and was the first of his two appearances on the complete leaderboard.
9. Saquon Barkley: 21.76 mph
Team: New York Giants; Play: 59-yard rush against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
Barkley broke through the middle and reached 21.76 mph on the 59-yard gain. Next Gen Stats ranks the play ninth, one spot behind Waller despite both entries displaying the same speed.
8. Darren Waller: 21.76 mph
Team: Oakland Raiders; Play: 75-yard reception against the Denver Broncos in Week 17.
Waller caught the ball over the middle and outran the secondary for 75 yards. He was the only tight end in the top 20, and his 21.76 mph speed underscored the mismatch created by a player with receiver movement at tight end size.
7. Mecole Hardman: 21.87 mph
Team: Kansas City Chiefs; Play: 63-yard touchdown reception against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10.
Hardman turned the catch into a 63-yard score and reached 21.87 mph. This was the fastest receiving play in the top 10, giving the rookie two touchdown receptions on the season leaderboard.
6. Saquon Barkley: 21.89 mph
Team: New York Giants; Play: 68-yard rushing touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.
Barkley found the crease and pulled away for a 68-yard touchdown at 21.89 mph. Combined with his Week 1 run, the play made him one of only two players with multiple entries in the complete top 20.
5. Nick Chubb: 21.95 mph
Team: Cleveland Browns; Play: 88-yard rushing touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.
Chubb broke through the left side and outran Baltimore’s defense for an 88-yard touchdown. Next Gen Stats ranks him fifth, one position behind McCaffrey despite both plays displaying a speed of 21.95 mph.
4. Christian McCaffrey: 21.95 mph
Team: Carolina Panthers; Play: 84-yard rushing touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.
McCaffrey cut through the line and accelerated away for an 84-yard touchdown. The 21.95 mph sprint was another layer of an All-Pro season in which he threatened defenses as both a runner and receiver.
3. Brandon Wilson: 22.03 mph
Team: Cincinnati Bengals; Play: 92-yard kickoff return touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6.
Wilson found the return lane and reached 22.03 mph on the 92-yard touchdown. Listed as a safety by Next Gen Stats, he was the only defensive-position player inside the top 10 and the fastest returner on the leaderboard.
2. Cordarrelle Patterson: 22.23 mph
Team: Chicago Bears; Play: 46-yard rush against the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
Patterson took the handoff around the edge and reached 22.23 mph on a play that did not need a long runway. Although officially listed at wide receiver, his season-leading speed for the position came on a rushing attempt.
1. Matt Breida: 22.30 mph
Team: San Francisco 49ers; Play: 83-yard rushing touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
Breida took San Francisco’s first offensive snap through the left side and went untouched for an 83-yard touchdown. He reached 22.30 mph, the fastest speed by an NFL ball carrier during the 2019 regular season.
Only 0.07 mph separated Breida from Patterson, but Breida paired the higher speed with the longest play of the top three. The run captured exactly what made San Francisco’s outside-zone attack so dangerous when its blocking created one clean lane.
What the 2019 Speed Leaderboard Reveals
- Only 0.07 mph separated the top two. Breida’s 22.30 narrowly beat Patterson’s 22.23.
- Three plays reached at least 22 mph. Breida, Patterson and Wilson were the only players to clear the threshold.
- The top 10 spanned only 0.56 mph. Hardman’s 21.74 mph touchdown was just over half a mile per hour behind Breida.
- Seven of the 10 fastest plays ended in touchdowns. Six were offensive scores and Wilson supplied the kickoff return touchdown.
- Barkley and Hardman each appeared twice. Barkley did it on two runs, while Hardman did it on two touchdown receptions.
- The top 10 included five running back entries, three wide receiver entries, one safety and one tight end. Waller was the only tight end in the complete top 20.
Breida won the single-play speed race, while McCaffrey, Chubb and Barkley paired elite top speed with major offensive workloads. For a broader evaluation of production, durability and all-around skill, see the best running backs in the NFL today.
Complete Top 20 Fastest NFL Ball Carriers of 2019
The official Next Gen Stats table contains 20 plays by 18 players. It includes the player’s position, top speed, week and play type. The published ranks are preserved where multiple plays display the same speed.
| RK | Player | Team | Pos | Speed (MPH) | Wk | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Breida | SF | RB | 22.30 | 5 | 83-yard rush TD |
| 2 | Cordarrelle Patterson | CHI | WR | 22.23 | 2 | 46-yard rush |
| 3 | Brandon Wilson | CIN | S | 22.03 | 6 | 92-yard kickoff return TD |
| 4 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | RB | 21.95 | 5 | 84-yard rush TD |
| 5 | Nick Chubb | CLE | RB | 21.95 | 4 | 88-yard rush TD |
| 6 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | RB | 21.89 | 17 | 68-yard rush TD |
| 7 | Mecole Hardman | KC | WR | 21.87 | 10 | 63-yard reception TD |
| 8 | Darren Waller | OAK | TE | 21.76 | 17 | 75-yard reception |
| 9 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | RB | 21.76 | 1 | 59-yard rush |
| 10 | Mecole Hardman | KC | WR | 21.74 | 3 | 83-yard reception TD |
| 11 | Odell Beckham Jr. | CLE | WR | 21.70 | 2 | 89-yard reception TD |
| 12 | Malcolm Butler | TEN | CB | 21.50 | 1 | 38-yard interception TD |
| 13 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | PIT | S | 21.48 | 9 | 96-yard interception TD |
| 14 | Curtis Samuel | CAR | WR | 21.48 | 5 | 16-yard rush |
| 15 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | RB | 21.42 | 5 | 71-yard punt return |
| 16 | DeSean Jackson | PHI | WR | 21.40 | 1 | 51-yard reception TD |
| 17 | Robert Foster | BUF | WR | 21.40 | 12 | 24-yard reception |
| 18 | Leonard Fournette | JAX | RB | 21.38 | 7 | 20-yard rush |
| 19 | Sammy Watkins | KC | WR | 21.33 | 1 | 68-yard reception TD |
| 20 | William Jackson III | CIN | CB | 21.33 | 2 | 19-yard interception |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the fastest NFL ball carrier in 2019?
Matt Breida was the fastest NFL ball carrier of the 2019 regular season at 22.30 mph. He reached that speed on an 83-yard touchdown run against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
Why do Saquon Barkley and Mecole Hardman appear twice?
This is a play-based leaderboard, so every qualifying play is ranked separately. Barkley recorded two top-10 rushing plays, while Hardman recorded two top-10 touchdown receptions.
Who was the fastest wide receiver in 2019?
Cordarrelle Patterson was the fastest player listed at wide receiver at 22.23 mph, reaching that speed on a 46-yard rush. Mecole Hardman had the fastest receiving play in the top 10 at 21.87 mph.
Why do tied displayed speeds have different ranks?
Next Gen Stats publishes each play at a separate sequential position even when the displayed speeds match. This article preserves the official order throughout the analysis and complete table.
Sources and Data Notes
Data scope: NFL regular-season plays from the 2019 season. Preseason and postseason plays are excluded. Each play is ranked by maximum ball-carrier speed. Displayed ranks follow the official Next Gen Stats leaderboard, including separate published positions for plays that display the same speed. Team abbreviations reflect the 2019 team identity, so the Raiders are shown as OAK. Last reviewed: August 6, 2026.
- NFL Next Gen Stats 2019 fastest ball-carrier leaderboard.
- NFL coverage of Matt Breida’s 83-yard touchdown and the 22.30 mph Next Gen Stats measurement.
Matt Breida Won the 2019 Speed Race by 0.07 mph
Matt Breida led the fastest NFL ball carriers of 2019 at 22.30 mph, narrowly beating Cordarrelle Patterson at 22.23 and Brandon Wilson at 22.03. Breida delivered the fastest single moment, while Barkley and Hardman were the only players with two entries in the complete top 20.
The gap between Breida and the final top-10 entry was only 0.56 mph. Across the expanded top 20, just 0.97 mph separated Breida from Sammy Watkins and William Jackson III at 21.33. The top of the leaderboard was close, but Breida’s opening-snap touchdown gave San Francisco the season’s speed crown.
Fastest NFL Players by Year
Compare the fastest NFL ball carriers from every season tracked in this series:
- Fastest NFL Players in 2025
- Fastest NFL Players in 2024
- Fastest NFL Players in 2023
- Fastest NFL Players in 2022
- Fastest NFL Players in 2021
- Fastest NFL Players in 2020
- Fastest NFL Players in 2019 (current page)
- Fastest NFL Players in 2018
