PHILADELPHIA -- Being the fastest man in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine is one thing. Being the fastest man on Earth is quite another.
John Ross holds the former distinction, while Usain Bolt has been crowned with the latter. But the Cincinnati Bengals first-round draft pick believes he could take Bolt in the racing arena most familiar to Ross: the 40-yard dash.
"I would compare my speed to Usain Bolt's just basically using the same technology that (ESPN's) Sport Science did. They said I have faster foot contact than him, he has longer strides," Ross said Thursday. "I think it would definitely be a good race. In the 40-yard dash, I think I would get Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt, I know I can get you in the 40. Whenever you want to meet me up, we can do it."
Bolt, of course, used his renowned speed to pile up Olympic gold medals and shatter records in the IAAF World Championships. The 40-yard dash isn't quite Bolt's arena, but then again, the NFL and not the track is Ross' arena now, anyway. He was selected No. 9 overall by the Bengals on Thursday night, and had a feeling that would be his draft outcome after a pre-draft visit with the club.
A Ross-Bolt race would certainly generate enormous interest, but that's part of what the Bengals organization is hoping to gain from Ross, too. And for them, it's all about who he can outrun in a helmet and shoulder pads, not in track shoes.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
