NFL Combine Bench Press Record: Records for every drill at the NFL Scouting Combine

NFL Combine Bench Press Record: Taking a look at the record for the bench press and other drills at the NFL Combine.

The NFL Scouting Combine is a week long event that takes place every year in February at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Only the top college players in the nation receive a combine invite.

The players who are selected have the chance to workout in front of NFL coaches, scouts, and GMs. The athletes perform various physical and mental drills in the hopes of impressing scouts and increasing their draft stock.

Although, there is the age old debate of whether or not these combine drills actually correlate with a player’s on-field success. Many argue that combine drills solely measure athleticism and don’t give a clear idea of a player’s capabilities.

Either way, there have been a number of occasions when a player’s draft stock increased based on their measurable qualities at the combine.

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NFL Combine Bench Press Record

One of the drills at the combine is the bench press. Normally, this is the drill where players, especially linemen, get to showcase their strength and stamina.

Each athlete benches a weight of 225 pounds as many times as they can. Only 17 prospects managed to complete 40 repetitions since 1999. One of the players who did it was Justin Earnest back in 1999.

He was a DT out of Eastern Kentucky and he set the record for the bench press drill at 51 repetitions. No player has since managed to beat this mark, but Earnest actually isn’t the official record holder based on a technicality.

The NFL established a recency cut-off as 2006 to ensure data is accurate in official records. Therefore, Earnest’s effort in 1999 does not go down as the NFL record.

Instead, Stephen Paea’s 49 reps was deemed an NFL record in 2011. Paea, also a DT, was born in New Zealand and later moved to the States and played at Oregon State. He was drafted by the Bears and spent 7 years in the league.

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Record Holders for Other Drills

40 Yard Dash: John Ross (4.22s)

Vertical Jump: Chris Conley/Donald Washington (45.0″)

Broad Jump: Byron Jones (12’3″)

Three-cone Drill: J.T. Thomas (6.28s)