Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace, who was a sprinter in high school, says he's the fastest player in the NFL "without a doubt." And he's willing to prove it.
"If somebody feels foggy about that, we can (race)," Wallace told the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday. "I'm never going to back down from competition.''
The last time the NFL held a "Fastest Man" competition was in 2007, but Wallace obviously has no doubt he'd win a contest today.
"I’ve run a lot of routes and I’ve got a lot of miles on my legs, but I still feel that there’s nobody (in the NFL) who can run with me," Wallace told the Pioneer Press. "I might have slowed down a little but I could still run 4.25."
Wallace ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine. He said his fastest time was a 4.21 — slightly faster than former Titans and Jets running back Chris Johnson's Combine-record 4.24 in 2008. The fastest player at the Combine this year was Cardinals fifth-round draft pick J.J. Nelson, a wide receiver from UAB, who ran a 4.28.
The Steelers selected Wallace in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. He made the Pro Bowl in 2011 after catching 72 passes for 1,193 yards. In 2013 he signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Dolphins as a free agent. He quickly wore out his welcome in Miami despite tying a career high with 10 touchdown receptions last season. He was traded with a 2015 seventh-round pick to the Vikings last March in exchange for a 2015 fifth-round selection. Miami selected Boise State running back Jay Ajayi with that pick.