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 Wide Receiver 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 Wide Receiver Bench Press Reps All-Time
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine History |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Brooks Foster |
North Carolina |
27 |
2009 |
| N’Keal Harry |
Arizona State |
27 |
2019 |
| Greg Little |
North Carolina |
27 |
2011 |
| DK Metcalf |
Ole Miss |
27 |
2019 |
| TJ Moe |
Missouri |
26 |
2013 |
| Niles Paul |
Nebraska |
24 |
2011 |
| Eddie Royal |
Virginia Tech |
24 |
2008 |
| Ka’Raun White |
West Virginia |
24 |
2018 |
| 10 tied at 23 |
|
23 |
|
Year By Year Top Wide Receiver 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 wide receiver that benched more than 20 reps.
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2023 NFL Combine
2023
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2023 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Michael Wilson |
Stanford |
23 |
2023 |
| Jonathan Mingo |
Ole Miss |
22 |
2023 |
| Jaray Jenkins |
LSU |
20 |
2023 |
| Jacob Copeland |
Maryland |
20 |
2023 |
| Andrei Iosivas |
Princeton |
19 |
2023 |
Related –> NFL Combine Averages By Position at 2022 NFL Combine
2022
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2022 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Isaiah Weston |
Northern Iowa |
20 |
2022 |
| Josh Johnson |
Tulsa |
14 |
2022 |
| Justyn Ross |
Clemson |
11 |
2022 |
2020
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2020 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Quintez Cephus |
Wisconsin |
23 |
2020 |
| Antonio Gandy-Golden |
Liberty |
22 |
2020 |
| Joe Reed |
Virginia |
21 |
2020 |
| James Proche |
SMU |
20 |
2020 |
| Chase Claypool |
Notre Dame |
19 |
2020 |
2019
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2019 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| N’Keal Harry |
Arizona State |
27 |
2019 |
| DK Metcalf |
Ole Miss |
27 |
2019 |
| Jalen Hurd |
Baylor |
23 |
2019 |
| Felton Davis |
Michigan State |
21 |
2019 |
| Gary Jennings |
West Virginia |
20 |
2019 |
2018
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2018 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Ka’Raun White |
West Virginia |
24 |
2018 |
| Anthony Miller |
Memphis |
22 |
2018 |
| J’Mon Moore |
Missouri |
21 |
2018 |
| Christian Kirk |
Texas A&M |
20 |
2018 |
| Equanimeous St Brown |
Notre Dame |
20 |
2018 |
2017
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2017 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Billy Brown |
Shepherd |
23 |
2017 |
| Noah Brown |
Ohio State |
19 |
2017 |
| Robert Davis |
Georgia State |
19 |
2017 |
| Chris Godwin |
Penn State |
19 |
2017 |
| Kenny Golladay |
Northern Illinois |
18 |
2017 |
| Speedy Noil |
Texas A&M |
18 |
2017 |
| Curtis Samuel |
Ohio State |
18 |
2017 |
2016
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2016 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Aaron Burbridge |
Michigan State |
20 |
2016 |
| Sterling Shepard |
Oklahoma |
20 |
2016 |
| Ricardo Louis |
Auburn |
18 |
2016 |
| Michael Thomas |
Ohio State |
18 |
2016 |
| Corey Coleman |
Baylor |
17 |
2016 |
| Byron Marshall |
Oregon |
17 |
2016 |
| Braxton Miller |
Ohio State |
17 |
2016 |
| Marquez North |
Tennessee |
17 |
2016 |
| Rashawn Scott |
Miami |
17 |
2016 |
2015
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2015 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Sammie Coates |
Auburn |
23 |
2015 |
| Geremy Davis |
Connecticut |
23 |
2015 |
| Kevin White |
West Virginia |
23 |
2015 |
| Chris Conley |
Georgia |
18 |
2015 |
| Da’Ron Brown |
Northern Illinois |
17 |
2015 |
| Devin Funchess |
Michigan |
17 |
2015 |
| Donatella Luckett |
Harding University |
17 |
2015 |
| DeVante Parker |
Louisville |
17 |
2015 |
| Ezell Ruffin |
San Diego State |
17 |
2015 |
2014
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2014 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Cody Latimer |
Indiana |
23 |
2014 |
| Brandon Coleman |
Rutgers |
21 |
2014 |
| Jordan Matthews |
Vanderbilt |
21 |
2014 |
| Michael Campanaro |
Wake Forest |
20 |
2014 |
| Jeff Janis |
Saginaw Valley State |
20 |
2014 |
| Marcus Lucas |
Missouri |
20 |
2014 |
2013
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2013 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| TJ Moe |
Missouri |
26 |
2013 |
| Josh Boyce |
TCU |
22 |
2013 |
| Chris Harper |
Kansas State |
20 |
2013 |
| Lanear Sampson |
Baylor |
20 |
2013 |
| Markus Wheaton |
Oregon State |
20 |
2013 |
2012
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2012 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Marvin Jones |
California |
22 |
2012 |
| Jerrell Jackson |
Missouri |
22 |
2012 |
| Junior Hemingway |
Michigan |
21 |
2012 |
| Ryan Broyles |
Oklahoma |
21 |
2012 |
| Rishard Matthews |
Nevada |
20 |
2012 |
2011
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2011 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Greg Little |
North Carolina |
27 |
2011 |
| Niles Paul |
Nebraska |
24 |
2011 |
| Cecil Shorts |
Mount Union |
21 |
2011 |
| DeAndre Brown |
Southern Miss |
20 |
2011 |
| Jon Baldwin |
Pittsburgh |
20 |
2011 |
2010
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2010 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Dexter McCluster |
Ole Miss |
20 |
2010 |
| Scott Long |
Louisville |
20 |
2010 |
| Donald Jones |
Youngstown State |
20 |
2010 |
| Arrelious Benn |
Illinois |
20 |
2010 |
| Damian Williams |
USC |
19 |
2010 |
| Chris McGaha |
Arizona State |
19 |
2010 |
2009
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2009 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Brooks Foster |
North Carolina |
27 |
2009 |
| Kenny Britt |
Rutgers |
23 |
2009 |
| Greg Orton |
Purdue |
22 |
2009 |
| Quinten Lawrence |
McNeese State |
20 |
2009 |
| Percy Harvin |
Florida |
19 |
2009 |
2008
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2008 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| Eddie Royal |
Virginia Tech |
24 |
2008 |
| Marcus Smith |
New Mexico |
20 |
2008 |
| Darius Reynaud |
West Virginia |
20 |
2008 |
| Pierre Garcon |
Mount Union |
20 |
2008 |
| Arman Shields |
Richmond |
19 |
2008 |
| Mark Bradford |
Stanford |
19 |
2008 |
2007
| Most WR Bench Reps in NFL Combine 2007 |
| Player |
School |
Reps |
Year |
| James Jones |
San Jose State |
22 |
2007 |
| Syvelle Newton |
South Carolina |
20 |
2007 |
| Marquay McDaniel |
Hampton |
19 |
2007 |
| Laurent Robinson |
Illinois State |
19 |
2007 |
| Legedu Naanee |
Boise State |
19 |
2007 |
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 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.
References
NFL.com
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