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 2007) to find the top Linebacker 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 Linebacker Bench Press Reps All-Time
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine History |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Ronnell Lewis |
Oklahoma |
36 |
2012 |
| Cornelius Washington |
Georgia |
36 |
2013 |
| Vic Beasley |
Clemson |
35 |
2015 |
| Donald Butler |
Washington |
35 |
2010 |
| Sean Weatherspoon |
Missouri |
34 |
2010 |
| Desmond Bishop |
California |
33 |
2007 |
| Demario Davis |
Arkansas State |
32 |
2012 |
| Ross Homan |
Ohio State |
32 |
2011 |
| Antwan Barnes |
FIU |
31 |
2007 |
| Miles Burris |
San Diego State |
31 |
2012 |
| Mike Hull |
Penn State |
31 |
2015 |
| Micah Johnson |
Kentucky |
31 |
2010 |
| Drue Tranquill |
Notre Dame |
31 |
2019 |
Year By Year Top Linebacker Bench Press Numbers
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 Bench Press reps from each year going back to 2007. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any linebacker that benched more than 28 reps.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2023 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Owen Pappoe |
Auburn |
29 |
2023 |
| Noah Sewell |
Oregon |
27 |
2023 |
| Isaiah Moore |
NC State |
26 |
2023 |
| Trenton Simpson |
Clemson |
25 |
2023 |
| Jeremy Banks |
Tennessee |
25 |
2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2022 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Chad Muma |
Wyoming |
27 |
2022 |
| Devin Lloyd |
Utah |
25 |
2022 |
| Aaron Hansford |
Texas A&M |
24 |
2022 |
| Terrel Bernard |
Baylor |
22 |
2022 |
| Micah McFadden |
Indiana |
21 |
2022 |
| Jake Hansen |
Illinois |
21 |
2022 |
2020
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2020 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Khaleke Hudson |
Michigan |
30 |
2020 |
| Joe Bachie |
Michigan State |
26 |
2020 |
| Zack Baun |
Wisconsin |
24 |
2020 |
| Shaquille Quarterman |
Miami |
23 |
2020 |
| Akeem Davis-Gaither |
Appalachian State |
21 |
2020 |
| Willie Gay Jr |
Mississippi State |
21 |
2020 |
| Kenneth Murray |
Oklahoma |
21 |
2020 |
| Chapelle Russell |
Temple |
21 |
2020 |
| Davion Taylor |
Colorado |
21 |
2020 |
| Logan Wilson |
Wyoming |
21 |
2020 |
2019
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2019 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Drue Tranquill |
Notre Dame |
31 |
2019 |
| Cody Barton |
Utah |
30 |
2019 |
| Ty Summers |
TCU |
27 |
2019 |
| Deshaun Davis |
Auburn |
25 |
2019 |
| Tyrel Dodson |
Texas A&M |
24 |
2019 |
| Dre Greenlaw |
Arkansas |
24 |
2019 |
| Germaine Pratt |
NC State |
24 |
2019 |
| Sione Takitaki |
BYU |
24 |
2019 |
2018
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2018 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Christian Sam |
Arizona State |
28 |
2018 |
| Malik Jefferson |
Texas |
27 |
2018 |
| Tegray Scales |
Indiana |
27 |
2018 |
| Genard Avery |
Memphis |
26 |
2018 |
| Chris Covington |
Indiana |
23 |
2018 |
| Kenny Young |
UCLA |
23 |
2018 |
2017
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2017 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Ben Gedeon |
Michigan |
27 |
2017 |
| Marquel Lee |
Wake Forest |
25 |
2017 |
| Matt Milano |
Boston College |
24 |
2017 |
| Keith Kelsey |
Louisville |
23 |
2017 |
| Raekwon McMillan |
Ohio State |
23 |
2017 |
| Anthony Walker |
Northwestern |
23 |
2017 |
2016
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2016 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| BJ Goodson |
Clemson |
30 |
2016 |
| Raphael Kirby |
Miami |
27 |
2016 |
| Eric Striker |
Oklahoma |
23 |
2016 |
| Stephen Weatherly |
Vanderbilt |
23 |
2016 |
| Blake Martinez |
Stanford |
22 |
2016 |
| Tyler Matakevich |
Temple |
22 |
2016 |
| Gionni Paul |
Utah |
22 |
2016 |
| Joe Schobert |
Wisconsin |
22 |
2016 |
| Scooby Wright |
Arizona |
22 |
2016 |
2015
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2015 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Vic Beasley |
Clemson |
35 |
2015 |
| Mike Hull |
Penn State |
31 |
2015 |
| Kyle Emanuel |
North Dakota State |
27 |
2015 |
| Denzel Perryman |
Miami |
27 |
2015 |
| BJ Dubose |
Louisville |
26 |
2015 |
| Bryce Hager |
Baylor |
26 |
2015 |
| Davis Tull |
UT Chatttanooga |
26 |
2015 |
2014
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2014 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Max Bullough |
Michigan State |
30 |
2014 |
| Khairi Fortt |
California |
30 |
2014 |
| Jeremiah George |
Iowa State |
28 |
2014 |
| Kevin Pierre-Louis |
Boston College |
28 |
2014 |
| Chris Borland |
Wisconsin |
27 |
2014 |
2013
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2013 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Cornelius Washington |
Georgia |
36 |
2013 |
| Sio Moore |
Connecticut |
29 |
2013 |
| Michael Mauti |
Penn State |
28 |
2013 |
| Zaviar Gooden |
Missouri |
27 |
2013 |
| Jelani Jenkins |
Florida |
27 |
2013 |
2012
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2012 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Ronnell Lewis |
Oklahoma |
36 |
2012 |
| Demario Davis |
Arkansas State |
32 |
2012 |
| Miles Burris |
San Diego State |
31 |
2012 |
| Ryan Baker |
LSU |
30 |
2012 |
| Brandon Marshall |
Nevada |
28 |
2012 |
| Melvin Ingram |
South Carolina |
28 |
2012 |
2011
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2011 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Bruce Miller |
Central Florida |
35 |
2011 |
| Ross Homan |
Ohio State |
32 |
2011 |
| Brooks Reed |
Arizona |
30 |
2011 |
| Justin Houston |
Georgia |
30 |
2011 |
| Sandon Herzlich |
Boston College |
29 |
2011 |
2010
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2010 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Donald Butler |
Washington |
35 |
2010 |
| Sean Weatherspoon |
Missouri |
34 |
2010 |
| Thaddeus Gibson |
Ohio State |
32 |
2010 |
| Micah Johnson |
Kentucky |
31 |
2010 |
| Brandon Graham |
Michigan |
31 |
2010 |
| Mike McLaughlin |
Boston College |
29 |
2010 |
2009
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2009 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Kevin Ellison |
USC |
32 |
2009 |
| Kaluka Maiava |
USC |
30 |
2009 |
| Marcus Freeman |
Ohio State |
30 |
2009 |
| Brian Cushing |
USC |
30 |
2009 |
| Anthony Felder |
California |
28 |
2009 |
2008
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2008 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Quentin Groves |
Auburn |
30 |
2008 |
| Stanford Keglar |
Purdue |
29 |
2008 |
| Shawn Crable |
Michigan |
29 |
2008 |
| Kroy Biermann |
Montana |
29 |
2008 |
| Jonathan Goff |
Vanderbilt |
28 |
2008 |
2007
| Most LB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2007 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Desmond Bishop |
California |
33 |
2007 |
| Antwan Barnes |
FIU |
31 |
2007 |
| Stephen Nicholas |
South Florida |
29 |
2007 |
| Stewart Bradley |
Nebraska |
28 |
2007 |
| Kelvin Smith |
Syracuse |
26 |
2007 |
| Zak DeOssie |
Brown |
26 |
2007 |
| Jon Abbate |
Wake Forest |
26 |
2007 |
| Tony Taylor |
Georgia |
26 |
2007 |
| Tim Shaw |
Penn State |
26 |
2007 |
| Nate Harris |
Louisville |
26 |
2007 |
Notes
Back in 2010 when there were 5 linebackers that benched over 30 reps there were a total of 42 linebackers who participated in the 225 rep test. In 2022, there were 8.
Why is that? 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 NFL Combine actually bench presses. 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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