Demetric Felton and the difference between playing speed and workout speed

The Cleveland Browns selected UCLA running back/wide receiver Demetric Felton with their final selection of the 2021 NFL draft. Felton’s selection caused some consternation with Browns fans who hadn’t seen much UCLA football and quickly glanced at Felton’s testing numbers.

Felton clocked an underwhelming 4.58 in the 40-yard dash at UCLA’s pro day. That speed, or lack thereof, raised some eyebrows. For an undersized running back who is better-known for his receiving ability, it sure seems slow.

Yet Felton never appeared to lack speed or juice as a runner during his Bruins days.

The incongruity between what everyone saw at UCLA and what Felton did in his pro day performance is a great example of the difference between playing speed and testing speed. And the playing speed is the one that matters.

When he was on the field during Senior Bowl week, the biometric sensors and RF tracking devices inside the jerseys clocked Felton as the fastest player in Mobile. No player topped his 19.78 MPH maximum speed during the practice sessions.

The play speed was demonstrated time and again at UCLA. Check out the wheels here,

In this kick return against Washington State, Felton flashes both the top-end speed to run away from pursuit as well as some nifty moves to get out into open space.

Ironically, most of the time the discrepancy between play speed and workout speed swings in the other direction. Players clock blazing times in the 40 but don’t play to that speed on the field. Felton is a rare case of the opposite phenomenon. As is the case when a guy who didn’t look fast on the field but cranks out a fantastic 40 time, trust the tape on Felton’s speed.