NC State’s Speed Demons

The NC State Football team just wrapped up 2 days of testing, and if you want to know how fast a player’s actual 40-yard dash is, you have to put a laser on it.

The Wolfpack’s top performers by three different groupings were Senior Defensive End James Smith-Williams, Redshirt Freshman Running Back Trent Pennix, and Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver C.J. Riley.

Here’s some perspective.

Pennix didn’t come to NC State known for his speed. What can a year in Coach Thunder’s program do? His 4.4 laser speed would have tied Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill for the FASTEST time at the 2019 NFL Combine for Running Back’s. That’s bonkers.

Smith-William’s stands 6’3″, and weighs 260 pounds. The man is an athletic freak. He showed up in Raleigh weighing 196 pounds, and has been a product of Dantonio Burnette’s program. Prior to last season, he was benching 415, squatting 620, with a vertical leap of 38.5 inches. He was #27 on The Athletic’s “Freak” list heading into last season. His laser time of 4.58 would have ranked 4th among EDGE defenders at the 2019 NFL Combine.

Everyone knows that Riley is one of the fastest players on the roster, if not the fastest. His laser time of 4.39 only confirms that, and would have ranked 6th among Wide Receivers at the 2019 NFL Combine.