Former Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea set a combine record over the weekend by pumping out 49 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, blowing away the previous combine record of 45. Paea’s incredible display of strength opened eyes amongst scouts and NFL team execs, but there are still questions if the brawn in the weight room can be translated to the field. After all, how many of you have heard of Mitch Petrus, Mike Kudla, or Leif Larsen — the previous combine bench press record holders?
The difference is Paea is not just a workout warrior, he’s an incredible football player. The Oregon State product was voted an AP All-American last season after recording six sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. In three years with the Beavers, Paea had 14 sacks and 29.5 tackles for a loss as a defensive tackle.
If the numbers don’t speak for themselves, maybe the word of his peers will help.
For the second year in a row, Paea received the Morris Trophy which is awarded to the top defensive lineman in the Pac-10 as voted on by the conference’s offensive lineman. Rival lineman Max Forer, who just completed his senior season as a center for Oregon, told LBS that the “49 reps are surprising to anyone watching but his strength is known to us.”
Forer shared a story with us about what the Ducks saw while watching film on Paea. In 2009, another Pac-10 team struggled to block Paea so mightily that they assigned three blockers to him. Unable to stop him the entire game, they even had to move their tackle to the interior to try and stop the beast. They had very little success despite their efforts.
Forer also added that Paea is so dominant and special as a defensive tackle, Oregon would run their zone reads based on what he did rather than the defensive end, which is the typical read on their run plays.
Though some people may question Paea’s legitimacy as an effective football player and consider him more of a combine hero, he has the talent to back up what he showed on the bench press. Paea may be recovering from knee surgery, but he’s still projected to be a late first-round pick in the draft. He’ll make whatever team that drafts him quite happy.
And just for kicks, here’s a video of the massive Tongan doing his thing on the bench press:
