Jonathan Taylor was the fastest NFL player in 2021 based on the fastest ball carrier metric by Next Gen Stats, reaching a season-leading 22.13 mph on a 67-yard touchdown run for the Indianapolis Colts. Marquez Valdes-Scantling finished second at 22.09 mph, Patrick Surtain II ranked third at 22.07 mph and Taylor produced three of the five fastest plays.
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 2021: Key Facts
- Fastest ball carrier: Jonathan Taylor, 22.13 mph.
- Most top-20 entries: Jonathan Taylor recorded three of the five fastest plays.
- Fastest wide receiver: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, 22.09 mph.
- Fastest defensive player: Patrick Surtain II, 22.07 mph.
- Top-10 cutoff: Jalen Reagor ranked 10th at 21.74 mph.
- Official table scope: The complete Next Gen Stats table contains 20 plays by 17 players.
How the 2021 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 2021 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. Jonathan Taylor appears three times and Henry Ruggs appears twice in the complete top 20. Next Gen Stats officially places Derrick Henry sixth and Jaylen Waddle seventh even though both display as 21.80 mph. It also ranks Jalen Reagor 10th and Ja’Marr Chase 11th at a displayed 21.74 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 2021 Season
10. Jalen Reagor: 21.74 mph
Team: Philadelphia Eagles; Play: 22-yard punt return against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5.
Reagor fielded the punt, escaped the first wave and accelerated into open space to reach 21.74 mph. Next Gen Stats officially ranks his return 10th, one position ahead of Ja’Marr Chase despite both plays displaying the same speed.
9. Devin Duvernay: 21.76 mph
Team: Baltimore Ravens; Play: 42-yard punt return against the Denver Broncos in Week 4.
Duvernay found a lane along the sideline and reached 21.76 mph on the 42-yard return. His combination of quick acceleration and top-end speed made him one of the league’s most dangerous return specialists in 2021.
8. Henry Ruggs: 21.78 mph
Team: Las Vegas Raiders; Play: 51-yard reception against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4.
Ruggs caught the deep pass and reached 21.78 mph while separating from the pursuit. This was the faster of his two appearances in the complete top 20 and reflected the vertical speed that defined his role in Las Vegas.
7. Jaylen Waddle: 21.80 mph
Team: Miami Dolphins; Play: 57-yard reception against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12.
Waddle turned the catch into Miami’s longest gain of the game and reached 21.80 mph in the open field. Next Gen Stats ranks the rookie seventh, one position behind Henry despite both plays displaying the same speed.
6. Derrick Henry: 21.80 mph
Team: Tennessee Titans; Play: 76-yard rushing touchdown against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.
Henry broke through the line and outran Buffalo’s secondary for a 76-yard touchdown. Reaching 21.80 mph was especially striking for a 247-pound running back, combining the power of his initial burst with elite long speed.
5. Jonathan Taylor: 21.83 mph
Team: Indianapolis Colts; Play: Penalty-marked rush against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
Taylor reached 21.83 mph on a 32-yard run that was called back because of offensive holding. The official leaderboard displays the play as a 1-yard rush with an asterisk, but the speed still counts as Taylor’s third entry inside the top five.
4. Jonathan Taylor: 22.05 mph
Team: Indianapolis Colts; Play: 78-yard rushing touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 9.
Taylor broke into the secondary and pulled away for a 78-yard touchdown, reaching 22.05 mph. The run was his longest scoring play of the season and the second of his three appearances near the top of this leaderboard.
3. Patrick Surtain II: 22.07 mph
Team: Denver Broncos; Play: 70-yard interception return touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12.
Surtain jumped the route and returned the interception 70 yards for a touchdown at 22.07 mph. He was the only defensive player in the top 10 and the fastest of three cornerbacks with interception-return touchdowns in the complete top 20.
2. Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 22.09 mph
Team: Green Bay Packers; Play: 75-yard touchdown reception against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.
Valdes-Scantling caught Aaron Rodgers’ deep pass and sprinted away for a 75-yard touchdown. His 22.09 mph top speed was the fastest by a wide receiver in 2021 and left him only 0.04 mph behind the season leader.
1. Jonathan Taylor: 22.13 mph
Team: Indianapolis Colts; Play: 67-yard rushing touchdown against the New England Patriots in Week 15.
Taylor broke through the line late in the fourth quarter and sealed the Indianapolis victory with a 67-yard touchdown. He reached 22.13 mph, the fastest speed by an NFL ball carrier during the 2021 regular season.
Taylor’s No. 1 play was not an isolated sprint. His 22.05 mph touchdown against the Jets and 21.83 mph penalty-marked run against the Titans gave him three of the season’s five fastest plays, a level of repeatability no other player matched.
What the 2021 Speed Leaderboard Reveals
- Jonathan Taylor owned three of the top five spots. He recorded the fastest play and was the only player with three entries in the complete top 20.
- Four plays reached at least 22 mph. Taylor did it twice, while Valdes-Scantling and Surtain each did it once.
- Only 0.06 mph separated the top three. Taylor’s 22.13 narrowly led Valdes-Scantling’s 22.09 and Surtain’s 22.07.
- The top 10 spanned only 0.39 mph. Reagor’s 21.74 mph return was less than four-tenths behind Taylor.
- Five of the 10 fastest plays ended in touchdowns. Four came on offense and Surtain supplied the defensive score.
- The top 10 included five wide receiver entries, four running back entries and one cornerback entry. Taylor’s three plays account for three of the running back spots.
Taylor’s speed strengthened a complete rushing profile built on vision, balance and power, while Henry paired rare size with a 21.80 mph top gear. 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 2021
The official Next Gen Stats table contains 20 plays by 17 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 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB | 22.13 | 15 | 67-yard rush TD |
| 2 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | GB | WR | 22.09 | 11 | 75-yard reception TD |
| 3 | Patrick Surtain II | DEN | CB | 22.07 | 12 | 70-yard interception TD |
| 4 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB | 22.05 | 9 | 78-yard rush TD |
| 5 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB | 21.83 | 8 | 1-yard rush* |
| 6 | Derrick Henry | TEN | RB | 21.80 | 6 | 76-yard rush TD |
| 7 | Jaylen Waddle | MIA | WR | 21.80 | 12 | 57-yard reception |
| 8 | Henry Ruggs | LV | WR | 21.78 | 4 | 51-yard reception |
| 9 | Devin Duvernay | BAL | WR | 21.76 | 4 | 42-yard punt return |
| 10 | Jalen Reagor | PHI | WR | 21.74 | 5 | 22-yard punt return |
| 11 | Ja’Marr Chase | CIN | WR | 21.74 | 17 | 72-yard reception TD |
| 12 | Trenton Cannon | SF | RB | 21.70 | 3 | 68-yard kickoff return |
| 13 | Tavierre Thomas | HOU | CB | 21.68 | 16 | 48-yard interception TD |
| 14 | Quez Watkins | PHI | WR | 21.62 | 2 | 91-yard reception |
| 15 | Jamal Agnew | JAX | WR | 21.62 | 10 | 66-yard rush TD |
| 16 | Anthony Brown | DAL | CB | 21.52 | 5 | 45-yard interception TD |
| 17 | Melvin Gordon | DEN | RB | 21.52 | 1 | 70-yard rush TD |
| 18 | Henry Ruggs | LV | WR | 21.42 | 2 | 61-yard reception TD |
| 19 | Tyreek Hill | KC | WR | 21.42 | 11 | 33-yard rush |
| 20 | D.J. Moore | CAR | WR | 21.38 | 4 | 6-yard rush |
* Penalty on the play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the fastest NFL ball carrier in 2021?
Jonathan Taylor was the fastest NFL ball carrier of the 2021 regular season at 22.13 mph. He reached that speed on a 67-yard touchdown run against the New England Patriots in Week 15.
Why does Jonathan Taylor appear three times?
This is a play-based leaderboard, so every qualifying play is ranked separately. Taylor recorded speeds of 22.13, 22.05 and 21.83 mph, giving him three of the five fastest entries.
Who was the fastest wide receiver in 2021?
Marquez Valdes-Scantling was the fastest wide receiver on the leaderboard at 22.09 mph. He reached that speed on a 75-yard touchdown reception against the Minnesota Vikings.
Why is Jalen Reagor 10th instead of Ja’Marr Chase?
Next Gen Stats publishes Reagor at No. 10 and Chase at No. 11 even though both plays display as 21.74 mph. This article preserves that official sequential order rather than creating a shared rank.
Sources and Data Notes
Data scope: NFL regular-season plays from the 2021 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 names reflect the player’s team when the play occurred. Last reviewed: August 6, 2026.
- NFL Next Gen Stats 2021 fastest ball-carrier leaderboard.
- NFL coverage of Jonathan Taylor’s 22.13 mph touchdown, Taylor’s three leaderboard entries and Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s 75-yard touchdown.
Jonathan Taylor Dominated the 2021 Speed Leaderboard
Jonathan Taylor led the fastest NFL ball carriers of 2021 at 22.13 mph, beating Marquez Valdes-Scantling at 22.09 and Patrick Surtain II at 22.07. Taylor produced the season’s fastest single moment and three of the five fastest plays, making his repeat speed the defining feature of the leaderboard.
The gap between Taylor and the final top-10 entry was only 0.39 mph. Even across the expanded top 20, just 0.75 mph separated Taylor from D.J. Moore at 21.38 mph. At NFL speed, those margins can come down to one block, one pursuit angle or a few extra yards of open field.
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 (current page)
- Fastest NFL Players in 2020
- Fastest NFL Players in 2019
- Fastest NFL Players in 2018
