That slow 40-yard dash time continues to follow former UGA running back Elijah Holyfield.

But the Carolina Panthers don’t seem too worried about it.

Holyfield signed with the NFL team as a free agent after going undrafted, and Friday was the first day of Carolina’s rookie minicamp.

Naturally, the issue of Holyfield’s slow 40 time was brought up by Panthers coach Ron Riveria. Holyfield was clocked at 4.78 seconds at the NFL combine.

“I know he didn’t run a good 40-time, but when you put the tape on him, that’s really what we judged him on was his body of work. And it was pretty impressive,” Riveria told reporters.

Holyfield is a longshot to make the team as an undrafted rookie, but he clearly has motivation. According to the Charlotte Observer’s Jourdan Rodrigue, after signing with the Panthers last month, Holyfield “did 254 lower-body workout reps – one for each pick that passed him in the draft.”

The average 40 time for a running back at the NFL Combine is 4.49 seconds, according to one study.

Predictions on Holyfield’s future in the NFL? Please post below.