Of all the football players from Alabama’s high schools and colleges who’ve tried to reach the pros, which one did the most repetitions in the bench press at the annual NFL Scouting Combine?
A new group of players will have an opportunity to provide the answer to that question next week in Indianapolis, where the NFL Scouting Combine will be held for the 39th time.
For the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, players will arrive for testing and interviews in four groups and will be on the field from Feb. 26 through March 1.
In the bench press, one of the six measurable drills administered at the combine, each participant seeks to press 225 pounds as many times as he can.
In this century, the record for the most reps by a player from an Alabama high school or college was established by Evan Mathis at 35 in 2005 and tied by Carl Lawson in 2017 and Braden Smith in 2018.
The combine record in the bench press is 49 repetitions by Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea in 2011.
At the 2025 combine, the top showing at the station for a player from an Alabama high school or college was 32 reps by Alabama tight end CJ Dippre, who tied for the high mark last year. He became the first player to land in the Alabama-roots top 10 since the 2018 combine.
The bench press used to be the first of the measurable tests tackled by the prospects in Indianapolis. Now it’s the last one and is staged on the morning after the players have taken the running and jumping tests at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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Records from the early combines can be sketchy, but complete data is available starting with the 2000 event. These are the top 10 bench-press performances since that year by players from Alabama high schools and colleges:
1. Evan Mathis, Homewood High School, Alabama: 35 reps
After the 2005 combine, the Carolina Panthers drafted the guard in the third round. He was an All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler twice in his 12 NFL seasons. In 2015, Mathis played left guard for the Denver Broncos as they won Super Bowl 50.
1. Carl Lawson, Auburn: 35 reps
After the 2017 combine, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted the defensive end in the fourth round. Lawson led the NFL’s rookies with 8.5 sacks and earned a place on the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie team. A knee injury ended Lawson’s second NFL season after seven games, and he missed the entire 2021 season with an Achilles injury. In 90 games, including one in 2025, Lawson has 32 sacks.
1. Braden Smith, Auburn: 35 reps
After the 2018 combine, the Indianapolis Colts drafted the guard in the second round. Smith entered the lineup as the right offensive tackle in the fifth game and played every snap there the rest of the way, earning a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie team. Smith has remained Indianapolis’ right tackle in the seven seasons since, overcoming the obsessive-compulsive disorder subtype religious scrupulosity in 2024.
4. Mookie Moore, Fayette County High School, Troy: 34 reps
After the 2000 combine, the Washington Redskins drafted the guard in the fourth round. He played in eight games in three NFL seasons.
4. Fred Weary, Lee High School (Montgomery): 34 reps
After the 2002 combine, the Houston Texans drafted the Tennessee guard in the third round. He played six seasons, with 43 starts, for Houston, losing almost two seasons to injuries.
4. Robert McCune, LeFlore High School (Mobile): 34 reps
After the 2005 combine, the Washington Redskins drafted the Louisville linebacker in the fifth round. He played in eight games in three NFL seasons and also played in the Canadian Football League.
4. Gabe Wright, Auburn: 34 reps
After the 2015 combine, the Detroit Lions selected the defensive tackle in the fourth round. Wright played in 15 games with four teams over his four NFL seasons.
8. Bryan Thomas, Minor High School (Adamsville), UAB: 33 reps
After the 2002 combine, the New York Jets drafted the defensive end with the 22nd pick. Thomas played 11 seasons with the Jets as a defensive end and outside linebacker, appeared in 157 games with 104 starts and recorded 33.5 sacks.
8. Greg Robinson, Auburn: 33 reps
After the 2014 combine, the St. Louis Rams drafted the offensive tackle with the second pick. He moved into the starting lineup as the left offensive tackle halfway through his rookie season and spent two more seasons there before being traded to the Detroit Lions in 2017. Robinson played six games before an injury ended his time with the Lions, but he made a comeback by playing every snap at left offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns in the second half of the 2018 season and starting 14 games there in 2019. A free agent in 2020, Robinson was not signed after being charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana after being stopped in Texas while transporting approximately 157 pounds of it, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
10. Eddie Freeman, B.C. Rain High School (Mobile), UAB: 32 reps
After the 2002 combine, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted the defensive end in the second round. He played in 20 games over two seasons with Kansas City.
10. CJ Dippre, Alabama: 32 reps
After the 2025 combine, the tight end went undrafted. Dippre signed with the New England Patriots and, after staring the season on the practice squad, joined the active roster in November. He played in two games as a rookie.