Football is a game of strength and speed.
Both attributes will be tested at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, with draft prospects competing in a number of drills for evaluators to witness.
One of the most notable drills is the bench press, where players display their raw power and stamina.
Here’s a tracker of the players with the most bench press reps this year, plus an explainer of the exercise and a look at previous bench press records at the combine:
Who did the most bench press reps at the combine in 2023?
Defensive linemen and linebackers opened up the combine on Thursday, but waited until Friday to kick off bench press. The other positions followed each day, with the offensive linemen finishing things off.
Here are the top performers at the bench press for the 2023 combine:
- Andrew Vorhees (USC OL), 38 reps
- Mazi Smith (Michigan DT), 34 reps
- Jovaughn Gwyn (South Carolina OL), 34 reps
- Anthony Bradford (LSU OL), 34 reps
- Lonnie Phelps (Kansas EDGE), 31 reps
- Tyler Steen (Alabama OL), 31 reps
- Jaquelin Roy (LSU DT), 30 reps
- Tyler Lacy (Oklahoma State DE), 30 reps
- Keion White (Georgia Tech EDGE), 30 reps
- Peter Skoronski (Northwestern OL), 30 reps
How much weight is the bench press at the NFL Combine?
NFL
Players are required to lift 225 pounds for the bench press.
The bar weighs 45 pounds, and two 45-pound plates are placed on each side of the bar.
Who had the most bench press reps at the NFL Combine in 2022?
UCLA defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia had the most bench press reps last year with 29.
Six players did at least 25 reps at the 2022 combine:
- Otito Ogbonnia (UCLA DT), 29 reps
- Hassan Haskins (Michigan RB), 27 reps
- Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon DE), 27 reps
- Snoop Conner (Ole Miss RB), 25 reps
- John Ridgeway (Arkansas DT), 25 reps
- Dominique Robinson (Miami-Ohio DE), 25 reps
What is the bench press record at the NFL Combine?
Justin Ernest holds the record with 51 bench press reps, a record that has stood since 1999. The Eastern Kentucky defensive tackle remains the only player to ever surpass 50 reps at the combine, though he went undrafted and never appeared in an NFL game.
Here are the next closest challengers behind Ernest:
- Stephen Paea, DT, 2011: 49
- Mitch Petrus, OL, 2010: 45
- Jeff Owens, DT, 2010: 44
- Dontari Poe, DT, 2012: 44
- Tank Tyler, DL, 2007: 42
- Russell Bodine, C, 2014: 42
- Harrison Phillips, DT, 2018: 42