During the Miami Dolphins’ 26-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 25, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle took a short pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and turned it into an 84-yard touchdown play.

On his way to the end zone, the former Alabama standout reached a speed of 21.68 mph. That was the fastest that a ball-carrier from an Alabama high school or college ran during the 2022 NFL campaign. It also was the sixth-fastest speed recorded by any ball-carrier in the NFL this season.

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Waddle’s 84-yard sprint topped the five times that a player with Alabama football roots ran at least 21 mph with the football during the 2022 campaign.

Waddle had one of the other four, too. He hit 21.11 mph on a 67-yard touchdown reception from Tagovailoa in the Dolphins’ 32-29 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 17.

The other players with Alabama roots who reached 21 mph were:

· Chicago Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (Saraland) reached 21.21 mph on a 44-yard reception during a 35-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 24.

· Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) reached 21.17 mph on a reverse that ended up as a 3-yard loss during a 34-31 defeat by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs on Jan. 15.

· Seattle Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson (Spain Park) reached 21.05 mph after he picked up a blocked field-goal attempt and ran 86 yards for a touchdown in a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 18.

The fastest speed recorded by a ball-carrier during the 2022 NFL season was 22.11 mph by Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Parris Campbell on a 26-yard run in a 32-31 loss to the Houston Texans on Jan. 8.

The fastest ball-carrier is among the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, which have generated a new set of statistical measurements.

Waddle’s 84-yard touchdown reception topped one of the other Next Gen Stats for the 2022 season – Yards After Catch Above Expected. Next Gen Stats said Waddle should have run 4 more yards after making the reception. Instead, he ran 69 more.

Other top performances during the 2022 NFL season by players from Alabama high schools and colleges as measured by Next Gen Stats included:

Fastest sack: Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (Shades Valley, Alabama) took down Indianapolis Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger in 2.37 seconds in a 17-16 victory on Oct. 30. That edged a 2.4-second sack of Tennessee Titans quarterback Joshua Dobbs by Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen (Abbeville) in a 20-16 victory on Jan. 7 for the fastest by a player with Alabama football roots.

Improbable completion: A pass by New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (Alabama) intended for wide receiver DeVante Parker in the third quarter of a 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 25 had a 7.4 percent chance of being completed, according to the Next Gen Stats model. But the pass went for a 25-yard gain, tying it for the most improbable completion of the NFL season.

Longest play: New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) ran 113.7 yards with the football on an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown with five seconds remaining in a 10-3 victory over the New York Jets on Nov. 20, 2022. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount) nearly matched Jones for the longest by players with Alabama roots on his 65-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII last week. Toney covered 112 yards with the football on the return.

Longest tackle: Seattle Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson (Spain Park) ran 78.1 yards to push San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey out of bounds at the Seattle 6-yard line after a 68-yard gain in the 49ers’ 41-23 victory in the first round of the playoffs on Jan. 14. In the regular season, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) ran 73.6 yards to tackle Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, who turned a short pass into a 69-yard gain to the Cincinnati 6-yard line. Taylor-Britt caused Henry to fumble on the play, but Tennessee wide receiver Treylon Burks recovered the loose football in the end zone for a touchdown in the Bengals’ 20-16 victory on Nov. 27.

Rushing Yards Over Expected: In Las Vegas’ 40-34 overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 27, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (Alabama) won the game with an 86-yard touchdown run. Next Gen Stats said Jacobs’ run should have gained 9 yards. The 77-yard difference was tied for the biggest in the NFL this season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.