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 20078) to find the top Defensive Tackle 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 Defensive Tackle Bench Press Reps All-Time
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine History |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Stephen Paea |
Oregon State |
49 |
2011 |
| Jeff Owens |
Georgia |
44 |
2010 |
| Dontari Poe |
Memphis |
44 |
2012 |
| Harrison Phillips |
Stanford |
42 |
2018 |
| Vita Vea |
Washington |
41 |
2018 |
| Linval Joseph |
East Carolina |
39 |
2010 |
| Akeem Spence |
Illinois |
37 |
2013 |
| Terrance Taylor |
Michigan |
37 |
2009 |
| Hebron Fangupo |
BYU |
36 |
2012 |
| Dexter Lawrence |
Clemson |
36 |
2019 |
| Mike Martin |
Michigan |
36 |
2012 |
| Roy Miller |
Texas |
36 |
2009 |
| Kendall Reyes |
Connecticut |
36 |
2012 |
Year By Year Top Defensive Tackle 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 defensive tackle that benched more than 33 reps.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2023 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Mazi Smith |
Michigan |
34 |
2023 |
| Jaquelin Roy |
LSU |
30 |
2023 |
| Moro Ojomo |
Texas |
29 |
2023 |
| Jalen Redmond |
Oklahoma |
27 |
2023 |
| Keeanu Benton |
Wisconsin |
25 |
2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2022 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Otito Ogbonnia |
UCLA |
29 |
2022 |
| DJ Davidson |
Arizona State |
23 |
2022 |
| Matthew Butler |
Tennessee |
17 |
2022 |
2020
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2020 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| DaVon Hamilton |
Ohio State |
33 |
2020 |
| Khalil Davis |
Nebraska |
32 |
2020 |
| Justin Madubuike |
Texas A&M |
31 |
2020 |
| Larrell Murchison |
NC State |
29 |
2020 |
| Derrick Brown |
Auburn |
28 |
2020 |
2019
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2019 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Dexter Lawrence |
Clemson |
36 |
2019 |
| Albert Huggins |
Clemson |
35 |
2019 |
| Kevin Givens |
Penn State |
32 |
2019 |
| Ed Oliver |
Houston |
32 |
2019 |
| Greg Gaines |
Washington |
30 |
2019 |
| Daylon Mack |
Texas A&M |
30 |
2019 |
| Renell Wren |
Arizona State |
30 |
2019 |
2018
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2018 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Harrison Phillips |
Stanford |
42 |
2018 |
| Vita Vea |
Washington |
41 |
2018 |
| BJ Hill |
NC State |
35 |
2018 |
| Deadrin Senat |
South Florida |
35 |
2018 |
| Foley Fatukasi |
Connecticut |
33 |
2018 |
2017
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2017 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Elijah Qualls |
Washington |
33 |
2017 |
| Eddie Vanderdoes |
UCLA |
28 |
2017 |
| Larry Ogunjobi |
Charlotte |
26 |
2017 |
| Vincent Taylor |
Oklahoma State |
26 |
2017 |
| DJ Jones |
Ole Miss |
25 |
2017 |
| Isaac Rochell |
Notre Dame |
25 |
2017 |
| Charles Walker |
Oklahoma |
25 |
2017 |
| Carlos Watkins |
Clemson |
25 |
2017 |
2016
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2016 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Chris Mayes |
Georgia |
33 |
2016 |
| Matthew Ioannidis |
Temple |
32 |
2016 |
| Javon Hargrave |
South Carolina State |
29 |
2016 |
| Willie Henry |
Michigan |
28 |
2016 |
| Robert Nkemdiche |
Ole Miss |
28 |
2016 |
| Sheldon Rankins |
Louisville |
28 |
2016 |
| Anthony Zettel |
Penn State |
28 |
2016 |
2015
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2015 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Gabe Wright |
Auburn |
34 |
2015 |
| Tyeler Davison |
Fresno State |
32 |
2015 |
| Mario Edwards |
Florida State |
32 |
2015 |
| Derrick Lott |
UT Chattanooga |
30 |
2015 |
| Xavier Cooper |
Washington State |
29 |
2015 |
2014
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2014 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Aaron Donald |
Pittsburgh |
35 |
2014 |
| Ra’Shede Hageman |
Minnesota |
32 |
2014 |
| Robert Thomas |
Arkansas |
32 |
2014 |
| Tenny Palepoi |
Utah |
31 |
2014 |
| Kerry Wynn |
Richmond |
31 |
2014 |
2013
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2013 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Akeem Spence |
Illinois |
37 |
2013 |
| Josh Boyd |
Mississippi State |
32 |
2013 |
| Jesse Williams |
Alabama |
30 |
2013 |
| John Jenkins |
Georgia |
30 |
2013 |
| Bennie Logan |
LSU |
30 |
2013 |
| Sheldon Richardson |
Missouri |
30 |
2013 |
2012
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2012 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Dontari Poe |
Memphis |
44 |
2012 |
| Kendall Reyes |
Connecticut |
36 |
2012 |
| Mike Martin |
Michigan |
36 |
2012 |
| Hebron Fangupo |
BYU |
36 |
2012 |
| Brandon Thompson |
Clemson |
35 |
2012 |
| Alameda Ta’amu |
Washington |
35 |
2012 |
| Marcus Forston |
Miami |
35 |
2012 |
2011
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2011 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Stephen Paea |
Oregon State |
49 |
2011 |
| Marvin Austin |
North Carolina |
38 |
2011 |
| Adrian Taylor |
Oklahoma |
34 |
2011 |
| Ian Williams |
Notre Dame |
31 |
2011 |
| Phil Taylor |
Baylor |
31 |
2011 |
| Drake Nevis |
LSU |
31 |
2011 |
2010
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2010 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Jeff Owens |
Georgia |
44 |
2010 |
| Linval Joseph |
East Carolina |
39 |
2010 |
| Torell Troup |
Central Florida |
34 |
2010 |
| Brian Price |
UCLA |
34 |
2010 |
| Geno Atkins |
Georgia |
34 |
2010 |
2009
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2009 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Terrance Taylor |
Michigan |
37 |
2009 |
| Roy Miller |
Texas |
36 |
2009 |
| Ziggy Hood |
Missouri |
34 |
2009 |
| BJ Raji |
Boston College |
33 |
2009 |
| Ron Brace |
Boston College |
32 |
2009 |
2008
| Most DT Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2008 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Ahtyba Rubin |
Iowa State |
35 |
2008 |
| Trevor Laws |
Notre Dame |
35 |
2008 |
| Nick Hayden |
Wisconsin |
34 |
2008 |
| Sedrick Ellis |
USC |
34 |
2008 |
| Kentwan Balmer |
North Carolina |
33 |
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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