Kenyon Sadiq’s record-breaking 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was more than just a number; it was a statement made by a young man battling immense personal loss. It also vaulted him into an ultra-exclusive club, one where the only other member is 49ers legend George Kittle.

Sadiq’s performance places him in elite company alongside 49ers star George Kittle, Eli Stowers and Sam LaPorta. He joins a rare group of Power Four tight ends since 2017 to combine sub-4.6 speed with a missed tackle rate over 20%, showcasing a potent mix of speed and elusiveness. Sadiq has the fewest yards per route run in this group, but he has left the other three far behind with his 4.39 time. The rest are in the 4.50s.

Sadiq also joins another exclusive group of Power Four TEs, who clocked their 40 times at less than 4.6 seconds, while recording a run block grade of more than 75.0 and a drop rate of less than 7% in at least one season. Sadiq (3.80%) remarkably has a lower drop rate than Kittle (4.80%). Since the San Francisco and Oregon TEs are the only other players in the above group, they have now created an ultra-exclusive club of their own.

This combination makes Kenyon Sadiq an extremely unique and lucrative prospect in the draft. He is relatively short for an NFL TE, but that allows him to set up those routes with so much speed. Head coach Dan Lanning also vetted Sadiq’s unbelievable speed, claiming he runs 23 miles per hour.

Run blocking is also something Sadiq excels at. Despite his smaller build, he earned a 66.3 run-blocking grade from PFF, which is a rare stat. However, Sadiq was critical of himself about this aspect at the Combine. He told the press that he needs to “improve at attack blocking.” The only other limitation he has ever faced as a run blocker is that his size keeps him restricted to being a perimeter blocker. Despite this, multiple NFL teams are circling Sadiq. The Texans and Broncos have met with the TE, he confirmed to the press at the Combine.

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While Sadiq is reaching new professional highs, his success is bittersweet as he navigates a recent personal tragedy. Sadiq will not be able to share his success with his grandmother, Alaine Pledger. He tearfully revealed after the Peach Bowl loss that the game would have been the last she would’ve gotten to see. He wanted to share that last memory with her on a positive note, but the Ducks lost the game. She wasn’t able to attend the game in Atlanta since she was in hospice care. Unfortunately, Pledger passed away on January 11, the day after the Peach Bowl.

It’s been nearly two months since her passing, but the wound is fresh for Sadiq. He said after that final loss that he loved his grandmother “to death.” He might not have been able to cheer her spirits with a win then, but he sure is making her proud now. Sadiq’s Combine stats are simply through the roof.

Kenyon Sadiq came close to setting other records at the Combine

Kenyon Sadiq’s other Combine stats are also just as impressive as his 40 time. However, he missed creating records in the other drills by extremely small gaps. Sadiq logged in a monster 43.5” in the vertical jump. He was just two inches shy of the record set by Eli Stowers, the record for a TE. However, Sadiq was 2.5 inches taller than Lanning thought, who had him at 41 inches.

The Oregon star also recorded an unbelievable 11’1” in the broad jump. That figure alone is a huge talking point, but another is the gap separating Sadiq and record-holder Eli Stowers: two inches. These numbers have actually upgraded his NFL draft profile, which now grades him a 6.42 as a prospect. It indicates that Sadiq might develop into a starter in two years. But there’s little reason he won’t be able to start in one.

These numbers have come as a definite surprise to the football community, but not to Oregon. The team has nicknamed him ‘The Freak’; now the country knows why. As Sadiq prepares for the NFL Draft, he carries his grandmother’s memory, channeling his grief into a performance that has the entire league taking notice.