Most Running Back Bench Press Reps at NFL Combine (By Year)
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 2012) to find the top Running Back 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 Running Back Bench Press Reps All-Time
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine History | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Tommy Bohanon | Wake Forest | 36 | 2013 |
| Alex Barnes | Kansas State | 34 | 2019 |
| Jerick McKinnon | Georgia Southern | 32 | 2014 |
| Anthony Sherman | Connecticut | 32 | 2011 |
| Knile Davis | Arkansas | 31 | 2013 |
| Shane Vereen | California | 31 | 2011 |
| Jerome Fulton | Furman | 30 | 2008 |
| Tony Fiammetta | Syracuse | 30 | 2009 |
| Joey Iosefa | Hawaii | 30 | 2015 |
| Andy Janovich | Nebraska | 30 | 2016 |
| Samaje Perine | Oklahoma | 30 | 2017 |
| Carl Stewart | Auburn | 30 | 2008 |
| Danny Vitale | Northwestern | 30 | 2016 |
Year By Year Top Running Back Bench Press Numbers
Here is a breakdown of the top 5 Bench Press reps from each year going back to 2012. In addition to the top 5 each year, I’ve also included any running back that benched more than 25 reps.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2023 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Chase Brown | Illinois | 25 | 2023 |
| Evan Hull | Northwestern | 21 | 2023 |
| Tank Bigsby | Auburn | 21 | 2023 |
| Chris Rodriguez Jr | Kentucky | 19 | 2023 |
| Zach Charbonnet | UCLA | 18 | 2023 |
| Tyjae Spears | Tulane | 18 | 2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2022 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Hassan Haskins | Michigan | 27 | 2022 |
| Snoop Conner | Ole Miss | 25 | 2022 |
| Kevin Harris | South Carolina | 21 | 2022 |
| Dameon Pierce | Florida | 21 | 2022 |
| Max Borghi | Washington State | 20 | 2022 |
2020
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2020 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Scottie Phillips | Ole Miss | 29 | 2020 |
| Sewo Olonilua | TCU | 25 | 2020 |
| Benny LeMay | Charlotte | 24 | 2020 |
| James Robinson | Illinois State | 24 | 2020 |
| AJ Dillon | Boston College | 23 | 2020 |
| J.K. Dobbins | Ohio State | 23 | 2020 |
| Joshua Kelley | UCLA | 23 | 2020 |
2019
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2019 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Alex Barnes | Kansas State | 34 | 2019 |
| Jalin Moore | Appalachian State | 27 | 2019 |
| Elijah Holyfield | Georgia | 26 | 2019 |
| Rodney Anderson | Oklahoma | 25 | 2019 |
| Myles Gaskin | Washington | 24 | 2019 |
2018
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2018 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 29 | 2018 |
| Nick Chubb | Georgia | 29 | 2018 |
| Chris Warren | Texas | 25 | 2018 |
| Lavon Coleman | Washington | 23 | 2018 |
| Sony Michel | Georgia | 22 | 2018 |
| Kamryn Pettway | Auburn | 22 | 2018 |
| Darrel Williams | LSU | 22 | 2018 |
| Kamryn Pettway | Auburn | 22 | 2018 |
| Darrel Williams | LSU | 22 | 2018 |
2017
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2017 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Samaje Perine | Oklahoma | 30 | 2017 |
| Chris Carson | Oklahoma State | 23 | 2017 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 22 | 2017 |
| De’Veon Smith | Michigan | 22 | 2017 |
| Justin Davis | USC | 21 | 2017 |
| Wayne Gallman | Clemson | 21 | 2017 |
| Rushel Shell | West Virginia | 21 | 2017 |
2016
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2016 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Andy Janovich | Nebraska | 30 | 2016 |
| Danny Vitale | Northwestern | 30 | 2016 |
| Soma Vainuku | USC | 26 | 2016 |
| Keith Marshall | Georgia | 25 | 2016 |
| Tre Madden | USC | 24 | 2016 |
| DeAndre Washington | Texas Tech | 24 | 2016 |
2015
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2015 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Joey Iosefa | Hawaii | 30 | 2015 |
| Michael Dyer | Louisville | 26 | 2015 |
| Gus Johnson | Stephen F Austin | 26 | 2015 |
| Michael Burton | Rutgers | 25 | 2015 |
| David Johnson | Northern Iowa | 25 | 2015 |
| Zach Zenner | South Dakota State | 25 | 2015 |
2014
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2014 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Jerick McKinnon | Georgia Southern | 32 | 2014 |
| Bishop Sankey | Washington | 26 | 2014 |
| Kapri Bibbs | Colorado State | 24 | 2014 |
| J.C. Copeland | LSU | 23 | 2014 |
| Isaiah Crowell | Alabama State | 23 | 2014 |
| LaDarius Perkins | Mississippi State | 23 | 2014 |
| James White | Wisconsin | 23 | 2014 |
2013
| Most RB Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2013 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Tommy Bohanon | Wake Forest | 36 | 2013 |
| Knile Davis | Arkansas | 31 | 2013 |
| Mike James | Miami | 28 | 2013 |
| Christine Michael | Texas A&M | 27 | 2013 |
| Zac Stacy | Vanderbilt | 27 | 2013 |
| Zach Line | SMU | 26 | 2013 |
| Zach Boren | Ohio State | 25 | 2013 |
| Michael Ford | LSU | 25 | 2013 |
2012
| Most OL Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2012 | |||
| Player | School | Reps | Year |
| Robert Turbin | Utah State | 28 | 2012 |
| Doug Martin | Boise State | 28 | 2012 |
| Jewel Hampton | Southern Illinois | 26 | 2012 |
| Tauren Poole | Tennessee | 24 | 2012 |
| Davin Meggett | Maryland | 23 | 2012 |
| Vick Ballard | Mississippi State | 23 | 2012 |
Notes
Looking at the numbers above you may notice a bit of a trend – are running backs getting weaker? Based solely on looking at the top performers above that seems like a possible conclusion.
But, I strongly doubt that. The reason you see, for example, 8 guys with 25 reps or more in 2013 vs only 2 in 2022 is mostly due to participation.
To give you an example, in 2013 25 running backs participated in the bench press. In 2022? Only 6.
Why is that?
Teams simply don’t put a lot of stock into the bench. It looks cool, but it’s not the reason a player is going to be drafted. So, players avoid the chance of injury and focus on things like running a fast 40, having good jumps and performing well in the position drills.
The one thing every player will absolutely do is get their measurables taken. In case you’re curious, here are the average running back heights and weights across the league in 2023.
*Fun Fact: Did you know not all bars and weight plates weigh exactly the same? 20kg bars weigh less than a 45-pound bar. Some plates due to manufacturing variances and wear and tear will weigh slightly differently.
We used to weigh every 45-pound plate in the entire weight room to find the 4 that weighed the least, no matter how small of a difference it was.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that not everyone that gets invited to NFL Combine actually bench presses (in fact, the majority of guys do not bench press at the combine anymore). 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.
