For those who do not know, DK Metcalf is a professional athlete who plays wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. He is “6” “3” 234 pounds and ran a 4.33 at the 2019 NFL combine, in other words, he is extremely fast!! One of his most famous plays was when Russel Wilson threw an interception to Budda Baker on the goal line. Budda caught the ball in stride and had nothing but green in front of him. DK was about 10 yards behind him and managed to chase him down to prevent the pick 6. After this play commentators, fans and players talked about him having world-class speed. So, this is the question, does DK have “world-class speed”? Well, he decided to put this to the test this past weekend and participated in the 100-meter dash against some of the fastest sprinters in the world.
Before we get into the results, I want to go over my thoughts before the event. Running a 4.33 40-yard dash is world-class speed (in the 40-yard dash), but that doesn’t mean you can match against Olympic athletes who run 100-meter dashes. Training for the 40-yard dash vs 100-meter dash is two different training regimens. My initial thought is, if he has competed and ran the 100-meter dash before (High school or college), then he has a good chance of not embarrassing himself and holding “his own”. If he has never run the 100-meter dash before, I think he will get Smoked!!!
Results
In his 100-meter trial heat, there were 9 athletes. He tied for 8th place running an impressive 10.36. It's evident that DK has had some type of training for this event, otherwise, why would someone compete against the fastest athletes in the world with zero experience. From the angle, I viewed he appeared to have a good start and accelerated well. Once he reached his drive phase or “Max Velocity” it was clear his experience and training were not enough to break away but he did very well. I mentioned lack of experience or not enough training is because he does have the potential to run faster.
We have to understand that DK is running against athletes who train for the 100-meter dash and spend countless hours working on the different phases of the race. A strength coach’s job is to make him more explosive, agile, stronger, and powerful for football. Therefore, his training regimen must include multiple skills versus an Olympic 100-meter athlete who centers their training around running in a straight line as fast as they can. In other words, if there are fewer skills to perfect, you can spend more time getting better at them versus someone who must perfect multiple skills (agility, catching, playbook, etc.)
In closing, this shows how multi-talented DK is. To step out of your comfort zone and compete against the world’s best at their sport and do well. This reminds me of Michael Jordan and Deion Sanders playing baseball. In my opinion, if he decided to train extensively for the 100-meter dash, he has a good chance of being one of the fastest in the world. So, for those who thought DK has world-class speed well…he is knocking on the door!!!
N'Namdi Nelson, M.B.A, CSCS,ACSM-EP, PES, CES
P.S If you are interested in someone analyzing your running gait to see where you can improve email me at attiworkhard@gmail.com