Watch Bears’ John Franklin Humiliate Opponent in 40-Yard Dash Race

Alvin Kamara and Ted Ginn Jr. wanted to set the record straight on who the fastest men in the NFL are today. So they decided to hold the first-ever competition for it. Dubbed “40 Yard of Gold,” it’s the human equivalent of a drag race. A host of current and former football players go head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament. The Chicago Bears have a representative down there in John Franklin III, a second-year defensive back.

Franklin got the attention of NFL fans last year when he posted a video of him running a scorching 4.19 in a 40-yard dash. He then followed that up with a strong 4.32 at the scouting combine. Suffice to say the guy is fast. So it’s reasonable to think this sort of competition is right up his alley. The $1 million prize for winning certainly doesn’t hurt the motivation either.

It seems the young sprinter didn’t waste time showcasing his talent. His first opponent in the tournament was not only beaten halfway through the race, he was downright humbled as Franklin posed for victory with a good chunk of time left.

John Franklin met his match though shortly after

His success was short-lived though. In easily the most exciting race of the competition, he went head-to-head with Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson in the semi-final. A 2nd round pick in 2018, the LSU product ran a 4.32 at the combine as well. So this was about as even a matchup on paper as one could hope for. The race certainly lived up to it as the two literally came down to a photo finish.

It appeared like Franklin’s body was actually ahead with his foot touching the finish line, but the judges ruled that Jackson won by one-tenth of a second, causing some controversy.

Jackson would go on to face San Francisco 49ers speedster Marquise Goodwin in the final. Goodwin has an extensive track background, so he was one of the heavy favorites going into the event. Still, Franklin deserves a ton of credit for getting as far as he did.