Player Poll: Who Are the Strongest and Fastest Cowboys in 2025

STILLWATER — There’s a lot of question marks surrounding the 2025 team during the second week of fall camp, but there’s little doubt over which Cowboy is the strongest.

Redshirt freshman Armstrong Nnodim received all six votes in our player poll. Most players didn’t even hesitate to consider the options.

“Armstrong, it’s in his name,” running back Rodney Fields said.

The closest thing the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Nnodim got to opposition came from receiver Da’Wain Lofton.

“If we’re going pound for pound it might be me,” the 190-pound Lofton said. “But other than that, it might be Strong.”

Nnodim was one of two freshmen, alongside tight end Josh Ford, to earn praise from Mike Gundy when newcomers came up during the 2024 offseason. Multiple Cowboys also singled out Nnodim as a new guy to watch last year.

Instead, an injury sidelined him for the entirety of the season, but it seems that didn’t stop Nnodim from impressing his teammates all over again this offseason.

“We will have lifting days that are pretty heavy, and you’ll look over be like, oh he’s got five plates on each side, just stuff like that,” receiver Gavin Freeman said.

Nnodim’s last season of high school ball saw him finish with 69 tackles, including 22 for loss and 16 sacks. He also forced two fumbles and returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

Anyone making that kind of impact at college is almost unheard of these days, but his teammates seem confident Nnodim is more than just a monster in the weight room.

“You look at the guy, he’s built like crazy,” defensive tackle De’Marion Thomas said. “It shows up on the field, too. You don’t just want to be a weight room freak and be not athletic on the field. He has that happy medium of both.”

Need for speed

The vote for the fastest Cowboy on the roster was decidedly more interesting, but the 12 players polled still came up with a clear favorite in cornerback JK Johnson.

“JK run a 4.3 probably,” safety Cameron Epps said, referring to the 40-yard dash.

For context, only nine players at this year’s NFL Combine ran a 4.35 or faster, and only two of those guys beat 4.3.

Johnson received six of 12 votes in the poll, putting him 3.5 votes ahead of his closest competition. Johnson, who also voted for himself without hesitation, wasn’t surprised to hear that most of his teammates picked him.

The speedy cornerback, hoping to make a big comeback this season following two season-ending injuries at LSU and Ohio State, struggled to think of the Cowboy he would vote for second. After initially leaning toward Cam (presumably Smith, based on context) Johnson voted for freshman corner Kobi Foreman.

Johnson wasn’t the only player to bet on himself in the poll. Running back Rodney Fields initially voted for himself, then, when questioned specifically about Johnson, changed his vote to the former LSU cornerback and voted himself as the fastest offensive player.

Receivers Terrill Davis and Gavin Freeman both picked themselves, however, Freeman added that it would be close between himself, quarterback Hauss Hejny and some other receivers.

“Oh, it’s close,” Freeman said of him and Hejny. “We haven’t raced, but I may be a little quicker.”

When asked specifically about Hejny, Freeman described the quarterback as “stupid fast” before discussing the quarterback’s routine of running with the receivers.

“That is just who he is, his mindset,” Freeman said. “It is cool to watch for sure. He is definitely the fastest quarterback in the nation.”

Note: Whenever a player picked themselves, they were asked to vote for the second-fastest Cowboy. Those results were used in the poll below. Players who picked multiple players had their vote split in half.

Fastest Cowboy (can’t vote for yourself)
CB JK Johnson———–5 votes
QB Hauss Hejny———3.5 votes
WR Jaylen Lloyd———2 votes
CB Kobi Foreman——–1 vote
CB LaDainian Fields—0.5 votes

Hejny, who finished second in the poll, voted for Johnson without too much hesitation.

“He has some points where he shines a lot,” Hejny said. “… This guy is elite and can be really good for us.”

Hejny’s votes came from one offensive lineman, two receivers and one defensive player.

“He knows how to move, too,” defensive end DeSean Brown said. “How quarterbacks move to avoid a defensive player, he knows how to move, and he’s fast. There’s been a little, like, ‘Wow.'”