🗣️Attention Athletes (especially you 2026 NFL Draft eligible prospects)
BE SPRINTING!!
With NFL Rookie Minicamps coming up soon after this weekend’s draft you should be sprinting @ or near max speed 1-2 times per week.
I despise fear mongering on social media but the truth is, for a late-round or UDFA guy, a hamstring injury early in camp can be a death sentence for their playing career.
The best way to lessen that risk? Sprinting.
A retrospective analysis published in 2023 (PMID: 37867737) correlated consistent near-max sprinting exposure with a significant reduction in hamstring injury risk.
In fact, out of the 600 players under observation, those who reached 95% (or higher) of their recorded maximum speed 2 days before a game had 0 instances of hamstring strains.
For most 🏈 players that 95% threshold is likely in the ~20-22.3 MPH range. If you don’t have access to GPS I highly suggest using laser timers to performed 10-yard Flys, simply set them up (at approximately hip height) 10-yards apart and give yourself 20-30 yards to get up to top speed before gate 1.
The following chart will tell you the time to speed achieved;
0.91 = 22.48
0.92 = 22.23
0.93 = 22
0.94 = 21.8
0.95 = 21.54
0.96 = 21.32
0.97 = 21.1
0.98 = 20.87
0.99 = 20.66
1.00 = 20.45
1.01 = 20.25
1.02 = 20.05
1.03 = 19.86