Edmonton Elks’ running back Javon Leake put the pro football world on notice with his performance against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old ran 12 times for 169 yards and three scores in a 42-31 victory but it was his second major — a 51-yard romp early in the fourth quarter — that captured the most attention. According to TSN’s data-enhanced feed, which is powered by Genius Sports, Leake reached a top speed of 35.8 kilometres per hour on the run — potentially earning himself a ticket for speeding in a school zone.
Now that’s what you call elite speed!
Javon Leake reaches 35.8 KM/H on his second TD of the game!
Catch the New Data Enhanced Feed 📲 Exclusively on TSN+ pic.twitter.com/VjOWiXYcj2
— CFL (@CFL) August 4, 2024
As 3DownNation contributor Ben Grant was the first to point out online, Leake’s break-out run was faster than any player in the NFL last season. Converted from metric to imperial measurements, he reached 22.25 miles per hour. Seattle Seahawks’ receiver D.K. Metcalf topped the charts south of the border in 2023 with a game speed of 22.23 miles per hour in Week 13.
Only three NFL players topped the 22-mile-per-hour mark last year according to Next Gen Stats: Metcalf, Canadian running back Chase Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Miami Dolphins’ receiver Tyreek Hill. The third-place finisher, Hill, set the NFL record for game speed as a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, clocking in at 23.2 miles per hour.
Hill reportedly ran a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at his West Alabama pro day, making his speediness somewhat predictable. Leake, however, ran just a 4.65 at the 2020 NFL Combine coming out of the University of Maryland, a number disappointing enough that it caused the reigning Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year to go undrafted.
Following short stints with the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Detroit Lions, Leake made his way to the CFL in 2022 and helped the Toronto Argonauts win a Grey Cup in his first season. He returned 81 punts for 1,216 yards and four touchdowns last season — both Argos franchise records — while adding 38 kickoffs for 793 yards, earning the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player award.
The six-foot, 205-pound weapon has continued to be used primarily as a return specialist since joining the Elks in free agency this offseason but has seen increased usage in offensive packages. Saturday’s game marked his first career start at running back in place of the injured Kevin Brown and he out-performed all expectations.
After setting the CFL land speed record early in the fourth quarter, Leake iced the game with another 61-yard touchdown run later in the frame. As the league does not have a public list of top speeds and the data-enhanced feed is not available for next-day viewing, it is unclear how fast he was moving on that follow-up.
The Edmonton Elks (1-7) will return to action on Sunday, August 11 when they host the B.C. Lions (5-3) at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
