The NFL combine bench press is not a true test of strength. College football players, hoping to boost their NFL draft stock, bench press a 225-pound (102 kg.) barbell for as many full, consecutive reps as possible. When guys are doing over 20, it’s as much a test of muscle endurance as muscle strength. Furthermore, such high reps to failure are a unique challenge and not a typical football training method. Therefore, many well-known names you might expect to show up in the NFL combine bench press records are nowhere to be seen, just as some of the names that follow are likely unfamiliar to even the most rabid NFL fans. The truth is some of these guys peaked at the combine, flat on their backs.
Let’s see what the numbers say as we delve into the NFL combine bench press records in several categories.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: TOP 5
Only 20 players have bench pressed 40 or more reps at the NFL combine, a list that includes NFL Hall of Famer Larry Allen (43), as well as Dontari Poe (44), Isaac Sopoaga (42), and Vita Vea (40). All but one of these 20 are either offensive or defensive linemen.
Here’s the top five combine bench pressers:
51 REPS: JUSTIN ERNEST
Justin Ernest (6’3″, 284 lbs.), a defensive tackle from Eastern Kentucky University, put up 51 reps in 1999. This mark comes with an asterisk, because Ernest, who went undrafted, never played in an NFL game.
49 REPS: STEPHEN PAEA
The NFL considers the 49 reps Stephen Paea (6’1″, 295 lbs.) put up in 2011 the official combine record because Paea played in the National Football League. The defensive tackle suited up seven seasons (2011-17) for the Bears, Redskins, Browns, and Cowboys.
45 REPS: MIKE KUDLA, LEIF LARSON, MITCH PETRUS
2006: Mike Kudla (6’2″, 265 lbs.), a defensive end from Ohio State, never played in the NFL. At 265, he’s the lightest player to bench 225 for 45 or more reps.
2000: Norwegian-born Leif Larsen (6’4″, 300 lbs.), a defensive tackle from the University of Texas, El Paso, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and played two NFL seasons.
2010: Mitch Petrus (6’3″, 315 lbs.), a guard from Arkansas, played three NFL seasons (2010-12) for the Giants, Patriots, and Titans. The only offensive player in the top five is also the only one with a Super Bowl ring. Petrus, who died in 2019, played in Super Bowl XLVI for the winning Giants.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: DEFENSIVE TACKLE
51 REPS: JUSTIN ERNEST (all combine participants)
49 REPS: STEPHEN PAEA (NFL players)
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
45 REPS: MITCH PETRUS
Right behind Petrus with the second greatest O-lineman total is Netane Muti (6″3, 315 lbs.), Fresno State, who put up 44 reps in 2020. It’s the biggest tally by anyone this decade. The guard was drafted by the Broncos and is currently under contract to the Lions.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: LINEBACKER
41 REPS: TERNA NANDE
Terna Nande (6′, 232 lbs.), a linebacker from Miami of Ohio University, was drafted by the Titans in 2006 and, while playing for them for one year, made his one and only NFL tackle. He was then on the practice squads of the Colts and Chargers. Nande is the only non-lineman to bench press 40 or more reps at the NFL combine.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: DEFENSIVE END
38 REPS: MARGUS HUNT
Margus Hunt (6’8″, 277 lbs.) out of SMU was drafted by the Bengals in 2013 and played for five teams over eight seasons.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: TIGHT END
35 REPS: JON DON DUNCAN, ORSON CHARLES
Jon Don Duncan (6’3″, 268 lbs.), out of Dixie State, went undrafted in 2014, but made the Denver Broncos roster. Orson Charles (6’2″, 251 lbs.) was drafted by the Bengals in 2012 and played for six teams over seven seasons.
A much better known player, Vernon Davis, has the fourth best tally by a tight end: an impressive 33 reps.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: RUNNING BACK
36 REPS: TOMMY BOHANON (FULLBACK)
34 REPS: ALEX BARNES (HALFBACK) (all combine participants)
32 REPS: JERICK MCKINNON (HALFBACK) (NFL players)
Tommy Bohanon (6’1″, 246 lbs.) played for Wake Forest, and was drafted by the Jets in 2013. He played two seasons for the Jets and two with the Jaguars.
Another asterisk. Alex Barnes (6′, 226 lbs.), out of Kansas State, set this mark in 2019 but failed to stick to an NFL roster.
Jerick McKinnon (5’9″, 209 lbs.) definitely stuck to rosters. Drafted by the Vikings in 2014, McKinnon currently plays for the Chiefs. Weighing only 209 pounds., McKinnon’s 32 reps is, pound-for-pound, the most impressive running back tally and one of the combine’s greatest bench press performances.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: SAFETY
32 REPS: KEVIN ELLISON
Kevin Ellison (6’1″, 227 lbs.), USC, was drafted by the Chargers in 2009, and played one season for them.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: SPECIAL TEAMS
30 REPS: JOE CARDONA (LONG SNAPPER)
25 REPS: DAVID BUELER (PLACEKICKER)
25 REPS: MICHAEL TURK (PUNTER)
Joe Cardona (6’2″, 242 lbs.), Navy, was drafted by the Patriots in 2015, and is still their long snapper.
David Bueler (6’2″, 227 lbs.), USC, was drafted by the Cowboys in 2009 and played three seasons with them.
Michael Turk (6′, 231 lbs.), Arizona State, put up his attention-grabbing tally in 2023. The 25 was more than all wide receivers, all but one tight end (the one tied him), and the majority of offensive linemen. He has yet to make an NFL roster.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: CORNERBACK
27 REPS: CHRIS HOUSTON
Chris Houston (5’11”, 185 lbs.), a cornerback who played for Arkansas, benched 27 reps in 2007, while 40 pounds less than the weight he was pushing off his chest. Houston was drafted by the Falcons and played seven seasons for them and the Lions.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: QUARTERBACK
26 REPS: JASON BOLTUS
Quarterbacks rarely perform the bench press at the combine. Only 44 have benched since 1987. Jason Boltus (6’3, 225 lbs.), from Hartwick College, got 26 reps in 2009, but this is another record with an asterisk since Boltus never played in the NFL. He did, however, quarterback professionally for eight seasons of Canadian and arena football.
Two other notables: Brady Quinn benched 24 reps in 2007, and Jay Cutler benched 23 reps in 2006.
In 2022, former NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow, then 34, was filmed doing his own combine challenge and hit 31 reps with 225. Tebow did not bench when he participated in the 2010 combine, but, if he had, he likely would’ve broke Boltus’ mark from one year prior.
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS RECORD: UNDER 200-POUND BODYWEIGHT
27 REPS: CHRIS HOUSTON
At only 185, Houston was way under two bills.
BEST NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS
TERNA NANDE
We salute the big numbers of Justin Ernest and Stephen Paea and the pound-for-pound strength of Jerick McKinnon and Chris Houston, but best of all is a combination of both: the lightest guy in the 40 Rep Club. That would be linebacker Terna Nande, who benched 225 for 41 reps in 2005 when he weighed only 232. For that, Nande is the GOAT of the NFL combine bench press.
Opening photo: Netane Muti benched 225 pounds for 44 reps at the 2020 NFL Combine, joining the exclusive 40 Rep Club. / NFL video
