2016 NFL Combine Bench Press Analysis: Offensive Linemen

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This is the 2016 NFL Combine Bench Press Recap for the offensive linemen. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.



2016 Combine: Bench Press Analysis – Offensive Linemen

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

  • For a point of comparison, here are some of the measurements of other recent offensive line prospects:

  • Ereck Flowers: 37 reps
  • Greg Robinson: 32 reps
  • Cam Erving: 30 reps
  • Zack Martin: 29 reps
  • Taylor Lewan: 29 reps
  • Laken Tomlinson: 25 reps
  • Jake Matthews: 24 reps
  • Cedric Ogbuehi: 23 reps
  • Brandon Scherff: 23 reps


  • Also, it is worth noting that offensive linemen with long arms are at a disadvantage on the bench press. Short-armed offensive linemen have a real advantage. Thus last year, it was very impressive that Flowers led all of the lineman on the bench press despite his long arms.

  • Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the top offensive lineman in the 2016 NFL Draft and a favorite to go first overall, didn’t partake in the bench press because of a shoulder injury. There were other notable players who passed on competing in the bench press including: Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley, Georgia’s John Theus, Oregon State’s Isaac Seumalo, North Dakota State’s Joe Haeg and UCLA’s Caleb Benenoch.

  • The most impressive bench press total belonged to Arizona State guard Chris Westerman. The 6-foot-3, 298-pounder led all of the offensive linemen with 34 reps. Westernman had the advantage of short arms (33.5 inches), but it still shows that he is dedicated to the weight room.

  • Kansas offensive tackle/guard Cody Whitehair (6-3, 298) is a favorite of many media analysts, but he had struggles at the Senior Bowl. Whitehair did very poorly at the combine bench press with a meager 16 reps, the second-worst total of any lineman. Considering Whitehair has very short arms (32.38 inches) one would have thought that he would have done better. There were times that Whitehair was overpowered on his tape and at the Senior Bowl, so he needs to get stronger for the NFL and spend more time in the weight room than he has to this point.



  • One of the most impressive totals among the offensive tackles came from Indiana’s Jason Spriggs. He cranked out 31 reps. With 34.13-inch arms, Spriggs total was impressive.

  • Ohio State left tackle Taylor Decker had a disappointing showing. Decker (6-7, 310) had only 20 reps even though his arms are very short (33.75) for a tall tackle. Decker could stand to get stronger for the NFL.

  • Michigan State left tackle Jack Conklin totaled 25 reps. Conklin (6-5, 308) has 35-inch arms, so that is a respectable performance from him.

  • Of the guards, Baylor’s Spencer Drango (6-5, 315) and Stanford’s Joshua Garnett (6-4, 312) each had 30 reps on the bench press. Those were good totals from each of them.

  • Arkansas guard Sebastian Tretola has been trimming weight, and perhaps he lost some strength during that process. Tretola (6-4, 314) had an average performance with 22 reps. He has plenty of tape to show his skills as a power run blocker, so it makes sense that he would want to trim down to be more athletic for the combine field work.

  • Arkansas teammate Denver Kirkland (6-4, 335) had 19 reps. He does have longer arms (34.58), but it was still an underwhelming performance from Kirkland.



  • This draft class has some depth at the center position, and it showed with some quality performances on the bench press. Notre Dame’s Nick Martin (28 reps), Alabama’s Ryan Kelly (26), Missouri’s Evan Boehm (24) and Michigan’s Graham Glasgow (23) all held their own on the bench press.

  • USC center Max Tuerk (6-5, 298) has gained almost 15 pounds from his listed weight at the beginning of the season. He totaled 22 reps, helped by his short arms (32.5). Tuerk is going in the right direction but continuing to add power would be a good idea.

  • Texas Tech left tackle Le’Raven Clark (6-5, 316) had a low total of only 18 reps on the bench press. However, that wasn’t surprising because Clark has extremely long arms at 36.13 inches. Those are the longest arms of any offensive lineman in this draft class. Thus, Clark’s total isn’t alarming.







    Back to the 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Page.



    2016 NFL Combine Results - Weigh-Ins and 40 Times:
    QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB

    2016 NFL Combine Stock Report:
    QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB

    2016 NFL Combine Field Drills Recap:
    QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB

    2016 NFL Combine Weigh-In Recap:
    QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB

    2016 NFL Combine Bench Recap:
    RB | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB

    2016 NFL Combine Previews:
    Day 1: OL and RB | Day 2: QB, WR and TE | Day 3: DL and LB | Day 4: DB

    2016 NFL Rumor Mill:
    Rumor Mill by Pat Yasinskas | Rumor Mill by Tony Pauline









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