KaVontae Turpin was one of the fastest NFL players in 2024 based on the fastest ball carrier metric by Next Gen Stats, reaching a season-leading 22.36 mph on a 64-yard touchdown reception for the Dallas Cowboys. Brian Thomas Jr. finished second at 22.15 mph, Jahmyr Gibbs ranked third at 22.03 mph and Saquon Barkley produced two 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 and returns. For broader historical context, compare these results with the fastest NFL players ever.
Table of Contents
Fastest NFL Players in 2024: Key Facts
- Fastest ball carrier: KaVontae Turpin, 22.36 mph.
- Most top-20 entries: Saquon Barkley, with four.
- Fastest rookie: Brian Thomas Jr., 22.15 mph.
- Fastest running back: Jahmyr Gibbs, 22.03 mph.
- Top-10 cutoff: Jordan Addison ranked 10th at 21.80 mph.
- Official table scope: The complete Next Gen Stats table contains 20 plays by 12 players.
How the 2024 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 2024 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 treated as its own entry, which is why Barkley appears four times in the top 20 and Turpin appears three times. Next Gen Stats officially ranks James Cook seventh and Turpin eighth even though both display as 21.85 mph. It also places Gibbs ninth and Addison 10th at a displayed 21.80 mph, so this ranking follows the published order.
Top speed is useful, but it does not settle every football argument. Longer plays provide more room to accelerate, while rushers 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 2024 Season
10. Jordan Addison: 21.80 mph
Team: Minnesota Vikings; Play: 51-yard reception against the Detroit Lions in Week 7.
Addison secured the pass downfield and accelerated through the secondary to reach 21.80 mph. His speed came after completing the difficult parts of the play first: creating room, tracking the football and transitioning upfield without losing momentum.
9. Jahmyr Gibbs: 21.80 mph
Team: Detroit Lions; Play: 54-yard reception against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11.
Gibbs matched Addison at a displayed 21.80 mph, but Next Gen Stats officially lists his play ninth. It was also his second top-10 entry, showing that his game-breaking speed translated to both rushing and receiving opportunities.
8. KaVontae Turpin: 21.85 mph
Team: Dallas Cowboys; Play: 18-yard kickoff return against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. A penalty occurred on the play.
The return did not produce a long gain, but Turpin still reached 21.85 mph almost immediately. Next Gen Stats keeps the speed on its official leaderboard while marking the penalty, giving Turpin his second appearance inside the top 10.
7. James Cook: 21.85 mph
Team: Buffalo Bills; Play: 65-yard rushing touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.
Cook broke through the line in the snow and quickly turned the run into a race no defender could win. The 65-yard touchdown showed how dangerous his acceleration becomes once Buffalo gets him beyond the first level.
6. Nico Collins: 21.89 mph
Team: Houston Texans; Play: 55-yard reception against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
Collins reached 21.89 mph while carrying a much larger frame than most players on the leaderboard. That size-speed combination is what makes him difficult to handle after the catch: defensive backs must account for his strength without sacrificing the angle needed to contain his long speed.
5. Saquon Barkley: 21.91 mph
Team: Philadelphia Eagles; Play: 72-yard rushing touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
Barkley closed his record-setting night against the Rams with a 72-yard touchdown and reached 21.91 mph. The run came late in the fourth quarter after Philadelphia had already given him a heavy workload, making the top-end speed even more impressive.
4. Saquon Barkley: 21.93 mph
Team: Philadelphia Eagles; Play: 55-yard rush against the New York Giants in Week 7.
Barkley’s fastest qualifying play came against his former team. He reached 21.93 mph on the 55-yard gain, narrowly topping his later touchdown against the Rams and securing two separate places inside the top five.
3. Jahmyr Gibbs: 22.03 mph
Team: Detroit Lions; Play: 70-yard rushing touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
Gibbs found the crease, made one decisive cut and reached 22.03 mph on the way to the end zone. He was the only running back to break 22 mph on the 2024 leaderboard and added another top-10 entry as a receiver three weeks later.
2. Brian Thomas Jr.: 22.15 mph
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars; Play: 85-yard touchdown reception against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.
Thomas turned a deep completion from Trevor Lawrence into an 85-yard touchdown and reached 22.15 mph. The rookie briefly owned the fastest ball-carrier speed of the season, while the play reinforced how quickly his vertical speed translated to the NFL.
1. KaVontae Turpin: 22.36 mph
Team: Dallas Cowboys; Play: 64-yard touchdown reception against the Houston Texans in Week 11.
Turpin caught the ball with room to accelerate and exploded through Houston’s pursuit for a 64-yard touchdown. His 22.36 mph top speed was the fastest recorded by an NFL ball carrier during the 2024 regular season and the fastest by a Cowboys ball carrier in the Next Gen Stats era.
Turpin also reached the top 10 on a kickoff return and appeared once more in the complete top 20. Barkley produced more qualifying entries, but nobody matched Turpin’s highest gear.
What the 2024 Speed Leaderboard Reveals
- Three plays reached at least 22 mph. Turpin, Thomas and Gibbs were the only players to clear the threshold.
- Running backs and wide receivers split the top 10. Each position produced five entries.
- Barkley was the repeat-speed leader. He appeared four times in the top 20, including twice inside the top five.
- The entire top 10 fit within 0.56 mph. Turpin’s 22.36 led Addison at 21.80, showing how small the margins are among NFL playmakers in open space.
- Turpin reached elite speed in different roles. His three top-20 entries included a touchdown reception and two kickoff returns.
- The complete top 20 included a defensive back. Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey qualified on a 72-yard kickoff return.
That mix is also why raw speed should complement football evaluation instead of replacing it. Turpin reached the highest number, Thomas paired elite speed with receiver production and Gibbs, Barkley and Cook had to process blocking before accelerating. For a broader evaluation of production, durability and complete skill sets, see the best running backs in the NFL today.
Complete Top 20 Fastest NFL Ball Carriers of 2024
The official Next Gen Stats table contains 20 plays by 12 players. It includes the player’s position, displayed 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 | KaVontae Turpin | DAL | WR | 22.36 | 11 | 64-yard reception TD |
| 2 | Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX | WR | 22.15 | 5 | 85-yard reception TD |
| 3 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | RB | 22.03 | 8 | 70-yard rush TD |
| 4 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | RB | 21.93 | 7 | 55-yard rush |
| 5 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | RB | 21.91 | 12 | 72-yard rush TD |
| 6 | Nico Collins | HOU | WR | 21.89 | 1 | 55-yard reception |
| 7 | James Cook | BUF | RB | 21.85 | 13 | 65-yard rush TD |
| 8 | KaVontae Turpin | DAL | WR | 21.85 | 17 | 18-yard kickoff return* |
| 9 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | RB | 21.80 | 11 | 54-yard reception |
| 10 | Jordan Addison | MIN | WR | 21.80 | 7 | 51-yard reception |
| 11 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | RB | 21.72 | 9 | 19-yard rush TD |
| 12 | Derrick Henry | BAL | RB | 21.72 | 7 | 81-yard rush |
| 13 | Jerome Ford | CLE | RB | 21.71 | 5 | 62-yard rush TD |
| 14 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | RB | 21.66 | 3 | 65-yard rush TD |
| 15 | KaVontae Turpin | DAL | WR | 21.64 | 6 | 79-yard kickoff return |
| 16 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB | 21.56 | 10 | 58-yard rush |
| 17 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | RB | 21.54 | 16 | 70-yard rush TD |
| 18 | Khalil Dorsey | DET | CB | 21.52 | 8 | 72-yard kickoff return |
| 19 | Derrick Henry | BAL | RB | 21.46 | 5 | 51-yard rush |
| 20 | Xavier Worthy | KC | WR | 21.46 | 4 | 54-yard reception TD |
* Penalty on the play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the fastest NFL ball carrier in 2024?
KaVontae Turpin was the fastest NFL ball carrier of the 2024 regular season at 22.36 mph. He reached that speed on a 64-yard touchdown reception against the Houston Texans in Week 11.
Why do some players appear multiple times?
This is a play-based leaderboard rather than a unique-player ranking. Barkley, Turpin, Gibbs, Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor each recorded multiple plays that qualified for the top 20.
Who was the fastest running back in 2024?
Jahmyr Gibbs was the fastest running back on the leaderboard at 22.03 mph. He reached that speed on a 70-yard rushing touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.
Is ball-carrier speed the same as a 40-yard dash time?
No. Ball-carrier speed is the highest speed a player reaches while possessing the football during an NFL play. A 40-yard dash is a controlled straight-line sprint without pads, a ball, blocks or defenders.
Sources and Data Notes
Data scope: NFL regular-season plays from the 2024 season. Preseason and postseason plays are excluded. Each play is ranked by maximum ball-carrier speed, and repeat entries are allowed. 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 2024 fastest ball-carrier leaderboard.
- NFL reports on KaVontae Turpin’s 22.36 mph touchdown, Brian Thomas Jr.’s 22.15 mph touchdown and Jahmyr Gibbs’ 22.03 mph touchdown.
KaVontae Turpin Owned the Highest Speed, but Saquon Barkley Owned the List
KaVontae Turpin led the fastest NFL ball carriers of 2024 at 22.36 mph, beating Brian Thomas Jr. at 22.15 and Jahmyr Gibbs at 22.03. Turpin produced the season’s fastest single moment, while Barkley’s four appearances in the top 20 made him the leaderboard’s defining repeat threat.
The gap between Turpin and the final top-10 entry was only 0.56 mph. Even across the expanded top 20, only 0.90 mph separated Turpin from Xavier Worthy’s No. 20 play. At NFL speed, those margins can come down to a clean release, 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 by Next Gen Stats:
- Fastest NFL Players in 2025
- Fastest NFL Players in 2024 (current page)
- 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
- Fastest NFL Players in 2018
