Do you know why we run the 40 yard dash? Not 10, not 100, but 40? Before we had a draft, teams would just sign college all-Americans. The small school kids might be able to play, but how do we standardize how fast they are? Paul Brown estimated that on average, a punt travels from foot to a receiver’s hand about 40 yards in about 4.5 seconds. It’s a punt gunner drill. Gil Brandt took it from him, and when the first ever scouts went to find talent: that is what they were looking for. When we opened the combine in 1982, we made these kids run the 40 to standardize the test.