Nobody ran faster than 49ers running back Matt Breida during the 2018 season.
That information comes courtesy of NFL Next Gen Stats, which tracked Breida reaching a top speed of 22.09 MPH on a 33-yard Week 12 scamper vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s the fastest speed reached by any player this season, just edging out Dalvin Cook who hit 22.07 MPH on a 70-yard run vs. the Lions in Week 12.
Patriots free safety Devin McCourty finished third on the list reaching 22.05 MPH on an 84-yard interception return vs. the Bills.
Tyreek Hill, who jokingly told Breida that there’s “only one cheetah in the league” earlier this season, is fourth on the list with top speed of 21.95 MPH.
Hill had the top two speeds during the 2016 season (23.24 and 22.77 MPH) the first year the NFL began tracking movement through players’ shoulder pads.
Breida was the only 49ers player featured in the top 20 this season. Last year, Marquise Goodwin was fourth on the list with a 55-yard touchdown in Week 7 that saw him reach 21.68 MPH.
Breida wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine after finishing college, but ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at Georgia Southern’s pro day that would’ve placed him first at the combine in 2017.