Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer 7y

Mike Williams spurns combine 40-yard dash, will run at pro day

NFL, Clemson Tigers

INDIANAPOLIS -- Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams believes a player runs the 40-yard dash "once, ever, in your life," so he has decided he won't be running his at the NFL scouting combine.

Williams, one of the most highly rated wide receivers on this year's draft board, said Friday he will not run the 40 when the receivers do their on-field workouts Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. He said he will instead run March 16 at Clemson's pro day.

Asked why he wouldn't run for the assembled scouts, general managers and coaches, Williams cited preparation time and a 2016 season in which Clemson won the national title and he caught 98 passes for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"Long season," Williams said. "[I] haven't had much time to prepare for it, so I'm going to take this week and next week to prepare for it and run it at my pro day."

Later, saying he preferred to concentrate on drills that had more to do with being a receiver, Williams expanded on his opinion of the 40: "You only run the 40 once, ever, in your life. You always be running routes. I was just focusing on what I'm going to be doing for a long time."

Williams measured 6-foot-3⅝ and 218 pounds at the combine, so he is one of the biggest receivers in this year's draft class.

Asked Friday if he believed a slow 40 time would hurt his draft status, Williams said: "I don't think so, at all. Jerry Rice didn't run a fast time. Antonio Brown didn't run a fast time. He's the highest-paid receiver in the league right now. It's all about just playing football if you look at it at the end of the day."

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