Most Bench Press Reps At NFL Combine By Position In 2023

Most bench press reps at NFL combine 2023 are by Andrew Vorhees of the USC Trojans. Andrew makes highest of 38 reps followed by Mazi Smith with 34 reps.

The NFL combine is held yearly to evaluate aspiring college players for the NFL. Bench press reps are done to test the athletes’ raw power and stamina. Along with the bench press, the NFL teams will conduct other programs, such as the 40-yard dash and vertical jumps.

Since American football is a contact sport with periodic tackles, players require athletic speed and strength. Many football positions will perform the bench presses, and many will seek to perform more than the average. The average numbers differ per different defensive and offensive positions.

The Easter Kentucky Defensive Tackle Justin Ernest holds the NFL record for the most bench press with 50 reps. However, he was undrafted and never played an NFL game.

The Oregan State defensive linesman Stephen Paea made 49 reps in 2011. NFL considers him the official record holder since he went on to play for the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.

Mitch Petrus, the offensive guard, holds the 2nd official position with 45 reps, while Defensive Tackle Jeff Owens has the 3rd most reps with 44.

The most bench press by the players according to their positions are:

Defensive Tackles

Mazi Smith did 34 reps which is the highest Bench press performance in the 2023 combine for a Defensive Tackle.

Mazi skipped other drills and will do them on March 17 at Ann Arbor during Michigan’s pro day.

Similarly, Jaquelin Roy did the second-best Bench Press with 30 reps. He clocked 8.01 seconds for the 3-cone drill and 5 seconds at the 20-Yd Shuttle. 

Moro Ojomo had the third-highest record with 29 bench press reps. He ran 5.04 seconds at the 40-yard dash, measured 33″ in the vertical jump, and had a 9’4″ broad jump.

The top bench press performance by defensive tackles in 2023 are:

  1. Mazi Smith (Defensive Tackle, Michigan) – 34 reps
  2. Jaquelin Roy (Defensive Tackle, LSU) – 30 reps
  3. Moro Ojomo (Defensive Tackle, Texas) – 29 reps
  4. Jalen Redmond (Defensive Tackle, Oklahoma) – 27 reps
  5. Keeanu Benton (Defensive Tackle, Wisconsin) – 25 reps
  6. Byron Young (Defensive Tackle, Alabama) – 24 reps
  7. Keondre Coburn (Defensive Tackle, Texas) – 24 reps
  8. Zacch Pickens (Defensive Tackle, South Carolina) – 22 reps
  9. Bryan Bresee (Defensive Tackle, Clemson) –  22 reps
  10. Gervon Dexter Sr.(Defensive Tackle, Florida) – 22 reps

Defensive Ends

Lonnie Phelps had the best Defensive End bench press record in the 2023 NFL combine by doing 31 reps.

He also clocked 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash and did the 10-yard shuttle run in 1.62 seconds.

Tyler Lacy and Keion White came second in this position’s performance with 30 reps.

In other drills, Keion made a 34” vertical jump and a broad jump of 9’9. Meanwhile, Tyler had 5.11 seconds of the 40-yard dash and a vertical jump of 28.5″. 

The top bench press performance by Defensive Ends in 2023 are:

  1. Lonnie Phelps (Defensive End, Kansas) – 31 reps
  2. Tyler lacy (Defensive End, Oklahoma State) – 30 reps
  3. Keion White (Defensive End, Georgia Tech) – 30 reps
  4. DJ Johnson (Defensive End, Oregan) – 28 reps
  5. Adetomiwa Adebawore (Defensive End, Northwestern) – 27 reps
  6. Nick Herbig (Defensive End, Wisconsin) – 25 reps
  7. Brenton Cox Jr. (Defensive End, Florida) – 24 reps
  8. Tavius Robinson (Defensive End, Mississippi) – 23 reps
  9. Colby Wooden (Defensive End, Auburn) – 23 reps
  10. Thomas Incoom (Defensive End, Central Michigan) – 23 reps

Linebackers

Owen Pappoe made the best linebacker bench press record in 2023 with 29 reps. He also clocked 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 35.5″.

The second-highest record was set by Noah Sewell, who did 27 reps. The linebacker ran the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds with a vertical jump of 33″.

Trenton Simpson also performed great, with 25 reps to his name. He clocked 4.43 seconds at the 40-yard dash and made the 10-yard shuttle run in just 1.55 seconds.

The top bench press performance by Linebackers in 2023 are:

  1. Owen Pappoe (Linebacker, Auburn) – 29 reps
  2. Noah Sewell (Linebacker, Oregon) – 27 reps
  3. Trenton Simpson (Linebacker, Clemson) – 25 reps
  4. Jeremy Banks (Linebacker, Tennessee) – 25 reps
  5. Shaka Heyward (Linebacker, Duke) – 22 reps
  6. Charlie Thomas (Linebacker, Georgia Tech) – 29 reps
  7. Cam Jones (Linebacker, Georgia Tech) – 17 reps

Cornerbacks

Clark Phillips III showed the best cornerback bench press performance at the 2023 NFL combine with 18 reps. He also ran 4.52 seconds at the 40-yard dash and had a broad jump of 10’11”. 

Joey Porter Jr and Cory Trice Jr. had the second-best performance with 17 reps each. Cory also did a 35.5″ vertical jump and clocked 1.56 seconds at the 10-yard shuttle run. 

Meanwhile, Joey completed the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and had a broad jump of 10’9″.

The top bench press performance by Cornerbacks in 2023 are:

  1. Clark Phillips III (Cornerback, Utah) – 18 reps
  2. Cory Trice Jr. (Cornerback, Purdue) – 17 reps
  3. Joey Porter Jr. (Cornerback, Penn State) – 17 reps
  4. Jay Ward (Cornerback, LSU) – 16 reps
  5. Anthony Johnson (Cornerback, Virginia) – 15 reps
  6. Christian Gonzalez (Cornerback, Oregon) – 14 reps
  7. Terell Smith (Cornerback, Minnesota) – 14 reps

Safeties

Trey Dean II accomplished the best result in the bench press for the Safety position with 25 reps. He also made a vertical jump of 36.5″ and 4.75 seconds in a 40-yard dash.

Jammie Robinson and Sydney Brown had the second-highest record with 23 reps each. 

Sydney did 1.51 seconds of a 10-yard shuttle run and a broad jump of 10’10”. Likewise, Jammie completed the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds and did the Broad jump leaping at 9’8″.

The top bench press performance by Safeties in 2023 are:

  1. Trey Dean II (Safety, Florida) – 25 reps
  2. Jammie Robinson (Safety, Florida State) – 23 reps
  3. Sydney Brown (Safety, Illinois) – 23 reps
  4. Daniel Scott (Safety, California) – 22 reps
  5. Chamarri Conner (Safety, Virginia Tech) – 20 reps
  6. Rashad Torrence II (Safety, Florida) – 20 reps
  7. Ji’Ayir Brown (Safety, Penn State) – 18 reps
  8. Jordan Battle (Safety, Alabama) – 17 reps

Quarterbacks

No Quarterbacks participated in the bench press test for the 2023 NFL combine.

It is common for QBs to skip the bench press since the barbell will control the ball and joint sockets instead of allowing these parts to move freely. This will create impingement in the shoulders. 

Moreover, there are other reasons for Quarterbacks to do this exercise. One primary reason is that it could result in the overuse of rotator cuffs that can disturb the throwing power and pains in the elbow region.

Wide Receivers

Michael Wilson performed the best bench press in the Wide Receivers position with 23 reps. The player also ran at 4.58 seconds for the 40-yard dash and did the 10-yard shuttle run in 1.5 sec.

The second-best record was set by Jonathan Mingo, who did 22 reps. He made the vertical jump at 35″ and did the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds.

Jaray Jenkins did 20 reps in the combine, and it was the 3rd best performance. He also completed the 10-shuttle in 4.6 seconds and did the vertical jump standing at 29.5″.

The top bench press performance by Wide Receivers in 2023 are:

  1. Michael Wilson (Wide Receiver, Stanford) – 23 reps
  2. Jonathan Mingo (Wide Receiver, Mississippi) – 22 reps
  3. Jaray Jenkins (Wide Receiver, LSU) – 20 reps
  4. Jacob Copeland (Wide Receiver, Maryland) – 20 rep
  5. Andrei Iosivas (Wide Receiver, Princeton) – 19 reps
  6. Justin Shorter (Wide Receiver, Florida) – 18 reps
  7. Parker Washington (Wide Receiver, Penn State) – 16 reps
  8. Michael Jefferson (Wide Receiver, Louisiana) – 16 reps
  9. Jason Brownlee (Wide Receiver, Southern Mississippi) – 16 reps

Running Backs

No Running Backs participated in the bench press drills for the 2023 NFL combine.

Tight Ends

In the Tight End position, Tucker Kraft, Brenton Strange, and Zack Kuntz made 23 reps each.

Tucker also did the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds and had dis the vertical jump at 34″. Meanwhile, Brenton ran for 4.7 sec at the 40-yard dash and did the 3-cone drill clocking at 7.25 seconds.

Zack had a 4.12 seconds record at the 20-yard Shuttle run and performed a broad jump leaping at 10’3″.

The top bench press performance by Tight Ends in 2023 are:

  1. Tucker Kraft (Tight End, South Dakota State) – 23 reps
  2. Zack Kuntz (Tight End, Old Dominion) – 23 reps
  3. Brenton Strange (Tight End, Penn State) – 23 reps
  4. Darnell Washington (Tight End, Georgia) – 21 reps
  5. Brayden Willis (Tight End, Oklahoma) – 20 reps
  6. Travis Vokolek (Tight End, Nebraska) – 20 reps
  7. Will Mallory (Tight End, Miami) – 20 reps
  8. Blake Whiteheart (Tight End, Wake Forest) – 20 reps

Offensive Line

Andrew Vorhees had the best performance for bench press in the 2023 NFL combine with 38 reps. He also made a Vertical jump of 29″ and completed the broad Jump at 8’9″. 

What’s more interesting is that Andrew did his reps with only one of his feet planted firmly. His other leg was injured due to torn ACL during his earlier drills.

Anthony Bradford made 34 reps, coming second to Voorhees. He ran for 5.08 seconds at the 40-yard dash and did the Vertical Jump at 30″.

Moreover, Jovaughn Gwyn also did 34 reps. He ran the 3-cone drill in 7.90 seconds while completing the Broad Jump at 9’2″. 

All these three players also achieved the highest bench press reps in the 2023 NFL Combine.

The top bench press performance by Offensive Line in 2023 are:

  1. Andrew Vorhees (Guard, USC) – 38 reps
  2. Anthony Bradford (Guard, LSU) – 34 reps
  3. Jovaughn Gwyn (Guard, South Carolina) – 34 reps
  4. Tyler Steen (Tackle, Alabama) – 31 reps
  5. Peter Skoronski (Tackle, Northwestern) – 30 reps

What Is NFL Combine Bench Press Weight?

NFL Combine bench press weight is 225 pounds.

The NFL has maintained 225 pounds / 102 kg in their bench press evaluation as it helps to determine whether the athletes have taken good care of their bodies or not. It also helps to decide the stretch reflex of the person.

225 pounds is safe, too, with the trained athletes not having fatigue after the test. The football positions require different physical skill sets, as some positions need more strength and endurance, while others need greater agility.

NFL has placed a range of numbers on its bench press tests that a person must do for different positions. The Linesmen have the highest expectation, with 30-39. Then the Linebackers and Tight Ends are expected to reach 25-30.

The Running Backs should have 20-25 reps, while the Defensive backs and wide receivers require the lowest, with a 15-20 margin.

Is There Pain tolerance Test In NFL Combine?

There is no Pain Tolerance test in the NFL Combines. All the Combine drills are typical physical exams.

The ‘Pain Tolerance’ word came first on March 6, 2023. Ian Rapoport, the NFL Network’s National Insider, had made an error while reporting the injury of Offensive Tackle Richard Gouraige during the Combine drills. 

The tweet went viral, and many NFL fan accounts like Cowboys Nation and reporters like Rob Zerwekh questioned the tweet’s legitimacy. Many users commented that there was no such thing. 

Later, Ian tweeted that an NFL spokesperson officially clarified his usage of the word as erroneous. The spokesperson remarked that Gouraige got injured during a typical physical exam and did not have pain tolerance.

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