NFL Combine History
Top Sprinters and Lifters
Frank Coyle & Staff
The NFL Combine continues to develop into one of the most critical offseason events on the NFL Draft calendar. What started as an important medical 3-day event as evolved into a major TV production of over 300 pro prospects. The events have a wide range of value. Fans quote speed and lifting numbers correlating those measurables into NFL stardom. Hardly the truth. Speed numbers from the 40 yard dash is strictly straight line speed which confirms a real number, though not necessarily field or open field speed. The breakdown of the 40 especially the 10-yard split actually is more indicative for positional scouting. The history of the sprint champions is a graveyard of NFL overrated prospects. Numbers lie often, especially raw numbers not integrated with football skills and scouting in all areas of player development.
Last year, the University of Texas Longhorns prospect and current Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy set the NFL all time combine record for fastest 40-yard dash with an amazing time of 4.21 seconds. His speed translated well to the field as a rookie after a long succesful football career at Texas. Most among the record have produced only marginal NFL results and only an afterthought in NFL lore .
Veteran NFL runner Chris Johnson was one prospect who became a huge pro playmaker with impact as both a feature back and receiver. He has been the exception of the rule with most failing to be more than track stars in a football uniform. John Ross earned a top ten selection in the NFL Draft 2017 only to spend more time on the injured list than the playing field.
In addition to Worthy, two other current NFL players, cornerbacks DJ Turner and Tariq Woolen are active players and has started regularly. This year, players like wideouts Tez Johnson and Isaiah Bond head the skilled position prospects with the natural talent to put up elite numbers in the sprints.
Here’s a full list of the fastest 40-yard dash times in the NFL combine since electronic timekeeping began in 1999:
Fastest 40 Yard Sprinters
Xavier Worthy, WR: 4.21 seconds (2024)
John Ross III, WR: 4.22 seconds (2017)
Kalon Barnes, CB: 4.23 seconds (2022)
Rondel Menendez, WR: 4.24 seconds (1999)
Chris Johnson, RB: 4.24 seconds (2008)
Jerome Mathis, WR: 4.26 seconds (2005)
Dri Archer, RB: 4.26 seconds (2014)
Tariq Woolen, CB: 4.26 seconds (2022)
D.J. Turner, CB: 4.26 seconds (2023)
Henry Ruggs III, WR: 4.27 seconds (2020)
Stanford Routt, CB: 4.27 seconds (2005)
Marquise Goodwin, WR: 4.27 seconds (2013)
NFL Combine Bench Press
The NFL Combine recorded lifting numbers have been distorted statistics which rarely translates to the field for a few key reasons. Benching 225 lbs. proves work ethic, commitment and core strength in some form. Football is a game of explosive power, usually a one time confrontation. The better gauge of power is the bench press, squatted and dead lift, all numbers which proved raw strength to win one of one matchups.
Former Cowboys guard Larry Allen was the strongest player in the NFL during the 1990s. He has been shown on video bench pressing 635 lbs. at the Cowboys facility. He benched 675 and 705 with assistance. He also squatted over 800 lbs. What made Allen, one of the greatest guards in NFL history, in addition to his incredible power was his highly developed technique. When Larry Allen rolled his hips the defender was buried. No maybe about it. His incredible strength translated to the field and the position at an elite level.
The NFL Combine bench press record is 49 reps of 225 pounds, set by Stephen Paea in 2011. At the time, the defensive lineman was a consensus All-America selection from Oregon State. He went on to hear his name called in the second round by the Chicago Bears. He was a solid starter for the Bears where his power and quickness allowed him to rank among the better interior defenders of his era.
Paea set the new mark just one year after offensive guard Mitch Petrus entered the three-way tie for the NFL combine record with 45 bench press reps. Petrus was a 3rd day draft pick by the NY Giants and made the club for a few seasons, though saw only marginal playing time with a limited number of starts. My favorite players was Leif Larsen from Texas-ElPaso, the Norweigian cowboy. He actually had a good NFL Combine with 45 reps and ran a fine 5.08 time at 6’4″ 300 lbs. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 6th round of the NFL Draft 2000 and played two seasons. He was also a track star, competing in the Shot put and a professional boxer. Since his first fight in 2003, he has won nine out of nine matches, eight of these by knockout. He defeated British heavyweight boxer Danny Williams in Pabellon Municipal, Silla, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain on December 2, 2011.
Justin Ernest, DT Eastern Kentucky, in 1999, completed 51 bench press reps of 225 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, which remains the most of all time. He went undrafted and never played an NFL game despite his impressive performance at the 1999 NFL Combine. Ernest was on the Saints’ practice squad for one season.
In the 13 times the NFL combine has taken place since 2011, Stephen Paea was only one of eight other players who surpassed 40 reps on the bench press. None of them have reached even 45 reps, though defensive tackle Dontari Poe got to 44 in 2012, and offensive guard Netane Muti also reached 44 in 2020.
In addition to Stephen Paea, DT Dontari Poe (Chiefs) and Vita Vea (Bucs) became strong NFL starters who established themselves as top flight pro regulars.
Best Lifters 225 lbs. Reps
1. DT Stephen Paea, 49 reps (2011)
T-2. OL Mitch Petrus, 45 reps (2010)
T-2. DL Mike Kudla, 45 reps (2006)
T-2. DT Leif Larsen, 45 reps (2000)
T-5. OG Netane Muti, 44 reps (2020)
T-5. DT Dontari Poe, 44 reps (2012)
T-5. DT Jeff Owens, 44 reps (2010)
T-5. DL Brodrick Bunkley, 44 reps (2006)
T-9. DT Harrison Phillips, 42 reps (2018)
T-9. C Russell Bodine, 42 reps (2014)
T-9. DL Tank Tyler, 42 reps (2007)
T-12. DT Vita Vea, 41 reps (2018)
T-12. C David Molk, 41 reps (2012)
T-12. LB Terna Nande, 41 reps (2006)
T-15. OL Justin Blalock, 40 reps (2007)
T-15. OL Manny Ramirez, 40 reps (2007)
