I’ve always loved the NFL Combine. A series of events to evaluate the physical characteristics of the best college football players each year. It’s basically an Olympic decathlon for potential NFL Rookies.
Some may call it overrated, and that’s debatable, but you definitely get some insight into the physical characteristics of guys at each position.
When I train players for the combine, one of the things we always do is look at previous years’ results to see how we stack up. It is a great tool for goal-setting and motivation.
This guide is simply me sharing this information with you. I went through all the previous NFL Combines (going back to 2008) to find the top Cornerback Bench Press performances of all time.
Note: These are the official NFL Combine times from NFL.com. Some resources online will also include pro-day numbers, but because there are so many other variables with pro-day numbers I’ve stuck strictly to the official reps from Indianapolis.
Most Cornerback Bench Press Reps All-Time
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine History |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Chris Houston |
Arkansas |
27 |
2007 |
| Josh Shaw |
USC |
26 |
2015 |
| Vontae Davis |
Illinois |
25 |
2009 |
| Kyle Wilson |
Boise State |
25 |
2010 |
| Omar Bolden |
Arizona State |
24 |
2012 |
| Coye Francies |
San Jose State |
24 |
2009 |
| Jimmy Smith |
Colorado |
24 |
2011 |
| Jahi Word-Daniels |
Georgia Tech |
24 |
2009 |
| Jamell Fleming |
Oklahoma |
23 |
2012 |
| Brandon Harrison |
Stanford |
23 |
2007 |
| Antwaun Molden |
Eastern Kentucky |
23 |
2008 |
| Chad Nkang |
Elon |
23 |
2007 |
| Morgan Trent |
Michigan |
23 |
2009 |
Year By Year Top Cornerback Bench Press Numbers
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 Bench Press reps from each year going back to 2008. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any cornerback that benched 20 or more reps.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2023 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Clark Phillips III |
Utah |
18 |
2023 |
| Cory Trice Jr |
Purdue |
17 |
2023 |
| Joey Porter Jr |
Penn State |
17 |
2023 |
| Jay Ward |
LSU |
16 |
2023 |
| Anthony Johnson |
Virginia |
15 |
2023 |
| Cameron Mitchell |
Northwestern |
15 |
2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2022 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Jaylen Watson |
Washington State |
18 |
2022 |
| Damarion Williams |
Houston |
17 |
2022 |
| Coby Bryant |
Cincinnati |
17 |
2022 |
| Sam Webb |
Missouri Western |
14 |
2022 |
| Jalyn Armour-Davis |
Alabama |
14 |
2022 |
2020
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2020 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Reggie Robinson II |
Tulsa |
22 |
2020 |
| Kindle Vildor |
Georgia Southern |
22 |
2020 |
| Javelin Guidry |
Utah |
21 |
2020 |
| Lavert Hill |
Michigan |
21 |
2020 |
| CJ Henderson |
Florida |
20 |
2020 |
| John Reid |
Penn State |
20 |
2020 |
2019
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2019 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Kris Boyd |
Texas |
19 |
2019 |
| Ugo Amadi |
Oregon |
18 |
2019 |
| Mark Fields |
Clemson |
18 |
2019 |
| David Long |
Michigan |
18 |
2019 |
| Ken Webster |
Ole Miss |
18 |
2019 |
| Rock Ya-Sin |
Temple |
18 |
2019 |
2018
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2018 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Davontae Harris |
Illinois State |
22 |
2018 |
| Josh Jackson |
Iowa |
18 |
2018 |
| MJ Stewart |
North Carolina |
18 |
2018 |
| Taron Johnson |
Weber State |
17 |
2018 |
| Michael Joseph |
Dubuque |
17 |
2018 |
| Nick Nelson |
Wisconsin |
17 |
2018 |
2017
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2017 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Brendan Langley |
Lamar |
22 |
2017 |
| Jack Tocho |
NC State |
21 |
2017 |
| Jeremy Clark |
Michigan |
20 |
2017 |
| Ashton Lampkin |
Oklahoma State |
19 |
2017 |
| Chidobe Awuzie |
Colorado |
16 |
2017 |
| Rasul Douglas |
West Virginia |
16 |
2017 |
| Tre’Davious White |
LSU |
16 |
2017 |
2016
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2016 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Sean Davis |
Maryland |
21 |
2016 |
| Anthony Brown |
Purdue |
19 |
2016 |
| Juston Burris |
NC State |
19 |
2016 |
| Jonathan Jones |
Auburn |
19 |
2016 |
| Jimmy Pruitt |
San Jose State |
19 |
2016 |
| Zack Sanchez |
Oklahoma |
19 |
2016 |
2015
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2015 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Josh Shaw |
USC |
26 |
2015 |
| Doran Grant |
Ohio State |
21 |
2015 |
| Justin Coleman |
Tennessee |
20 |
2015 |
| Steven Nelson |
Oregon State |
19 |
2015 |
| Trae Waynes |
Michigan State |
19 |
2015 |
2014
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2014 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Keith Reaser |
Florida Atlantic |
22 |
2014 |
| Jaylen Watkins |
Florida |
22 |
2014 |
| Justin Gilbert |
Oklahoma State |
20 |
2014 |
| Victor Hampton |
South Carolina |
20 |
2014 |
| Rashaad Reynolds |
Oregon State |
20 |
2014 |
2013
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2013 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Dwayne Gratz |
Connecticut |
22 |
2013 |
| Jamar Taylor |
Boise State |
22 |
2013 |
| Robert Alford |
Southeastern Louisiana |
17 |
2013 |
| Adrian Bushell |
Louisville |
17 |
2013 |
| Khalid Wooten |
Nevada |
17 |
2013 |
2012
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2012 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Omar Bolden |
Arizona State |
24 |
2012 |
| Jamell Fleming |
Oklahoma |
23 |
2012 |
| Jeremy Jones |
Wayne State |
20 |
2012 |
| Antonio Fenelus |
Wisconsin |
20 |
2012 |
| Trumaine Johnson |
Montana |
19 |
2012 |
| Asa Jackson |
Cal Poly |
19 |
2012 |
| Casey Hayward |
Vanderbilt |
19 |
2012 |
2011
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2011 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Marcus Gilchrist |
Clemson |
26 |
2011 |
| Jimmy Smith |
Colorado |
24 |
2011 |
| Byron Maxwell |
Clemson |
24 |
2011 |
| Jalil Brown |
Colorado |
24 |
2011 |
| Buster Skrine |
UT Chattanooga |
20 |
2011 |
2010
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2010 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Kyle Wilson |
Boise State |
25 |
2010 |
| Earl Thomas |
Texas |
21 |
2010 |
| Brian Jackson |
Oklahoma |
20 |
2010 |
| Kevin Thomas |
USC |
19 |
2010 |
| Joe Haden |
Florida |
18 |
2010 |
2009
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2009 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Vontae Davis |
Illinois |
25 |
2009 |
| Jahi Word Daniels |
Georgia Tech |
24 |
2009 |
| Coye Francies |
San Jose State |
24 |
2009 |
| Morgan Trent |
Michigan |
23 |
2009 |
| Joe Burnett |
Central Florida |
22 |
2009 |
| Asher Allen |
Georgia |
22 |
2009 |
| Bradley Fletcher |
Iowa |
20 |
2009 |
2008
| Most CB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2008 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Antwaun Molden |
Eastern Kentucky |
23 |
2008 |
| Justin Tryon |
Arizona State |
21 |
2008 |
| Jonathan Wilhite |
Auburn |
20 |
2008 |
| Antoine Cason |
Arizona |
20 |
2008 |
| Jack Williams |
Kent State |
19 |
2008 |
| Tyvon Branch |
Connecticut |
19 |
2008 |
Notes
What happened in 2022?
The NFL Combine changed its schedule to try to shorten the amount of time players have to spend in Indianapolis. This led to measurements (like height and weight), bench press and on-field workouts taking place all on the same day.
This led to many players in 2022 opting out of the bench press so it wouldn’t affect their on-field workouts. According to scouts I’ve spoken with over the years, the value placed in on-field drills drastically outweighs how many reps players can bench 225 pounds.
So, most players (only 3 defensive tackles participated on bench) chose to focus on things like running a fast 40, having good jumps (both vertical jump and broad jump) and performing well in the position drills.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that not everyone that gets invited to the NFL Combine actually bench presses (even in years other than 2022, some players will opt out of events). So, some players that potentially could put up a lot of reps don’t have an official number on the record.
On top of that, there are many players each year that would have put up big numbers that don’t receive an NFL Combine invite. I’ve been at many a pro day where we had guys who put up numbers that would have put them right at the top of the rankings.
References
NFL.com
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