Freak lineman stuns NFL by besting Odell Beckham time

One 40-yard dash got the NFL world buzzing, Odell Beckham Jr. defending and one prospect shooting up draft boards.

At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, Montez Sweat made some noise.

The edge rusher from Mississippi State set a modern record (since 2003) for a defensive lineman at the combine, registering a blazing 4.41 40, besting the previous record of 4.44 by Manny Lawson and Isaac Hilton, and mind-bogglingly beating the time Odell Beckham Jr. ran in 2014. The 4.41 would have been tied for eighth best among receivers at the combine. And again, Sweat is 6-6, 260.

The freak athlete and expected top-15 pick put up 12 sacks last year and surely helped his value. As he grabbed the attention — and the fact he trumped Beckham’s official 4.43 time became the go-to explanation for his prowess — Beckham was not pleased with a) the comparison and b) the documentation of his 40 time.

“It be funny how u don’t let these young men shine and have an identity of their own at the combine,” the Giants receiver wrote on Twitter. “… plus I ran a 4.40 and a 4.31…Soooooo I’m really into math and always have been. My teacher never once taught me that the average of these two numbers would be a 4.43…”

The 4.31 was an unofficial time for Beckham, and 4.43 was his officially. At the time at least, Beckham was pleased.

“It was about where I wanted,” Beckham said, via Nola.com. “I was hoping for 4.39, but I definitely won’t complain about it. overall I felt it was really good. Everything went smooth, especially after getting that time in the 40. It gave me a good feeling going into the rest of the day. I did pretty good on everything else.”

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