The Vikings aren't concerned with Laquon Treadwell's slow 40 time

Before Laquon Treadwell ran a 4.63 40-yard dash at the Ole Miss pro day, he was near-unanimously considered among draft experts to be the top wide receiver prospect of the 2016 draft. But that relatively slow sprinting speed worried measurement-obsessed NFL scouts, resulting in three other wideouts going ahead of Treadwell last Thursday.

Corey Coleman went to the Browns at 15, Will Fuller to the Texans at 21 and Josh Doctson to Washington at 22.

Maybe the Vikings used the No. 23 pick on Treadwell simply because their preferred choices had already been snatched up -- GM Rick Spielman refused to say whether Laquon was the top receiver on the his draft board -- but Minnesota certainly hasn't sounded too concerned with the the 40 time in post-draft comments.

Here's a collection of quotes from folks who don't give a damn about how fast Treadwell can run in a straight line without pads on.

General Manager Rick Spielman

Speaking to Pro Football Talk

We watched all of his '14 tape, and you look at his game speed. He had a very devastating injury at the end of the '14 season against Auburn, and then you start to see him get his stride again the second half of the [2015] season. There's been a lot of receivers that may not have run fast on the clock, but they play with good game speed, and we felt that Laquon definitely shows enough game speed to make an impact in this league.

Don't discount Laquon because some of those bigger guys... because of their catching radius, their ability to go up and their timing on the ball, they can be effective receivers downfield.

Head Coach Mike Zimmer

Via Vikings.com

A lot of the routes that we throw, is exactly what Treadwell does. After the season got over, and you go through your year-end review, one of the things we talked about was that we wanted to get a big receiver with a big catching radius. We just felt like with this football team that was important for us to get some size out there. We have [Stefon] Diggs, Jarius Wright, kind of smaller guys, so that was part of it. Honestly this kid is really a lot like I am trying to build this football team. He is a tough, physical player that is a heck of a competitor. We obviously took him because of him as a receiver, but he is the best blocking receiver that I have ever seen. I can't remember one that blocks as well as this guy does that I have seen on tape. That was another added bonus with him as well.

I know there is a lot about his 40 [yard dash] time, some guys play fast on the tape and that is what he does. He was the number one rated receiver coming out of high school. He was the number one receiver in 2014 and then he got hurt. He was a little slow coming out of this year, but I think he is going to help us in a lot of ways.

Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner

Speaking to the Minneapolis Star Tribune

There are just too many really good players, Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers, that didn't have great 40 times. It's an indicator of how fast you run. But some guys play that fast and some guys don't. Laquon caught [202] balls in college. And they were all kinds of balls. Deep, crossing, intermediate.

Former Vikings WR Chris Carter

Speaking to the Minneapolis Star Tribune

I was a 4.6 guy. Speed is needed in football, but how it's appropriated and used is the key. Trust me. I wish I was faster. If Laquon had run a 4.4, he wouldn't be with the Vikings today. He'd have been long gone.

But you can see through Michael Irvin, myself, Dez Bryant, Jerry Rice, you don't have to run a great 40 to be a great football player. And Laquon is a great football player. Why? Because he has great catch radius. He can catch the ball in traffic. He's physical.

We all can't run 4.3. But, hey, I've seen the Vikings draft a lot of guys who can run. But they can't play receiver. And didn't they just let a guy go named Mike Wallace? Wasn't that his thing? Speed?

Former Bills (and Mississippi State) WR Eric Moulds

He's not tied to the Vikings, but he had some nice things to say about Treadwell to the Pioneer Press.

There's a lot of comparisons. We both played at Mississippi schools, in the SEC, we're both big receivers that attack the football. I think we have a lot of similarities. People talk about his speed, but I think that is overrated because there is football speed and there is clock speed, and I think Treadwell has football speed. He can get open, and I think we both have the knack for that.

I think he's really going to do well. A lot of teams passed on him because of his speed, but I think that he's probably going to have a better showing than any of the other (wide receivers) in the first round. I also think he is going to play with a chip on his shoulder because he dropped in the draft.