Who is Kenyon Sadiq? All About the TE Who Ran a Record-Setting 40 Yard Dash

Lucas Oil Stadium has seen its share of combine fireworks, but few moments have reverberated through draft rooms as quickly as Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq’s 4.40-second 40-yard dash. At 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds, the Idaho native became the fastest tight end to sprint down the Indianapolis turf since Vernon Davis blazed a 4.38 in 2006, instantly transforming an under-the-radar junior into a potential first-round commodity.

Until the stopwatches clicked, Sadiq was largely an unknown outside Pac-12 scouting circles. Raised by a single mother in McCammon, Idaho, he began playing football in fourth grade as a running back before settling at tight end at Marsh Valley High. By his junior season he had posted 79 receptions for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns, emerging as a four-star recruit and the top prospect in the state. Oregon beat out Iowa State, Washington and Michigan for his signature, and after a five-catch freshman cameo Sadiq averaged 446 receiving yards, 40 receptions and five touchdowns over his final two collegiate seasons, adding a handful of rushing attempts to underscore his versatility.

The combine performance crystallized that athleticism. NFL.com now assigns Sadiq a 6.42 prospect grade—translation: “will become a good starter within two years”—while NFL Next Gen Stats tags him with a 93 overall score, labeling him “elite.” The numbers place him alongside Davis and Dorin Dickerson as the only tight ends to break 4.40 since the league began publishing official times.

Scouts are suddenly projecting the 20-year-old into the opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft, a meteoric rise for a player who entered the week hoping simply to secure a draftable grade. After a lifetime spent far from the national spotlight, Kenyon Sadiq made the league’s most-watched drill his personal stage—and in 4.40 seconds, ensured everyone now knows his name.