Kedon Slovis ran an insane 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine
"Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning. Speed. I am Speed."
- Lightning McQueen, Disney Pixar's Cars
BYU's starting quarterback in its inaugural season of Big 12 football was a two-time transfer from USC and Pittsburgh who goes by the name Kedon (his parents gave the name to him, before he was old enough to make a counter-offer). Kedon Slovis' career as a collegiate quarterback was rocky. In his first year with USC, he showed promise for an injury-riddled Trojan quarterback depth chart. After a rougher sophomore season, Slovis transfered to Pitt in the ACC but struggled in their system.
BYU was ecstatic to have a seasoned veteran taking the helm at QB as they entered their first year of Power 5 competition. After sending Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall to the NFL in consecutive seasons, Cougar fans were a bit disappointed to see the offense struggle under Slovis' command. His limited mobility was a problem in the modern age of dual-threat quarterbacks, and his production seemed stunted in pairing with this plus his receivers' inability to gain separation from the defense. He's a pocket passer, so I don't know why his lack of mobility was so surprising for Cougar fans.
But at the NFL Combine, Slovis' legs circumvented their programming and went into overdrive. The 40-yard dash event is a simple test to learn a simple metric: how fast can a player get up and run? Determining athleticism is much more complicated than clicking a stopwatch, but the great athletes in every draft usually stand out in this event. Kedon Slovis was not supposed to be one of these great athletes.
"(Go) Go Greased Lightnin', you're burning up the quarter-mile
- Greased Lightnin', John Travolta
(Greased Lightnin', go Greased Lightnin')
(Go) Go Greased Lightnin', you're coasting through the heat lap trials
(Greased Lightnin', go Greased Lightnin')
You are supreme, the chicks'll [scream]
For Greased Lightnin'"
As Slovis lined up at the starting line, the spirit of John Travolta appeared before him, and bestowed the powers of "Greased Lightnin'" on his legs. The starting gun burst, and uninhibited power erupted from the former Cougar's calves. With blinding speed, Slovis shot past the finish line at a time of 4.55 seconds.
When considering a player's 40-yard dash time, it's important to keep the player's position in mind--wide receivers and running backs are typically faster than linemen and linebackers. For quarterbacks, the average time in this event last year was 4.59. Even more crazy to think about, Slovis posted the fastest 40-yard dash among all quarterbacks in this year's combine.
Deseret News laid out how ridiculous a time like this was when compared to other BYU products in the draft combine.
"Slovis’ time was even faster than those of fellow Cougars Jaren Hall (4.64), Zach Wilson (4.84) and Puka Nacua (4.57).
- Deseret News
A number of other notable quarterbacks at the Combine declined to participate in the 40-yard dash, including projected first round talents Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels."
Seriously insane work. Keep it up, Kedon. Cougar Nation is rooting for you!
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