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12 Most Memorable Moments from the NFL Combine

By Zach Bigalke

Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Byron Jones (Connecticut) arrives on the gold carpet before the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Byron Jones (Connecticut) arrives on the gold carpet before the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Stephen Paea (99) before the game against the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Jets won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Stephen Paea (99) before the game against the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Jets won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /

Stephen Paea nearly matches bench press record with 49 reps (2011)

Officially, the NFL Combine bench press record was set in 1999 when Justin Ernest managed 51 reps. But the defensive tackle from FCS Eastern Kentucky was underwhelming in every other drill, went undrafted, and never reached an NFL game after signing with New Orleans as a free agent. Only one man has ever come within five of Ernest’s mark, providing one of the most remarkable moments of the modern highly-televised era of the NFL Combine.

Stephen Paea won the Morris Trophy as the top defensive lineman in the Pac-12 as both a junior and a senior and was a consensus All-American in his final season at Oregon State. Even before his senior year, Paea opened eyes when a video of him lifting 44 reps at the bench press surfaced 12 months before he would head to Indianapolis for the 2011 NFL Combine:

If anyone had a chance to eclipse Ernest, everyone knew it would be Paea. Under the pressure he couldn’t quite get past the 50-rep mark, but his 49 lifts were 11 better than the next-best prospect in 2011 and five more than any other prospect has put up in the 21st century. Drafted by Chicago in the second round, Paea spent four years with the Bears before playing in Washington and Cleveland the past two years.

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