When the NFL Draft is deep at a certain position, players not considered in the top three tend to get forgotten about. That was the case for Oregon State Defensive Tackle, Stephen Paea. With Nick Fairley and Marcell Dareus dominating the headlines at the NFL Combine, Paea quietly stepped into the bench press room, lifted the bar bell and broke the All-Time Combine record, with 49 reps.
For those of you who have seen Paea play, you already knew the type of strength he possesses. For those who haven’t, now you do. The 6’1″ 303 pound Polynesian is a bull on the football field, consistently eating up double teams, and knocking offensive linemen off balance with a powerful punch.
He has officially become the strongest college player in the nation. Teams will go back and study tape, to determine what scheme he best fits. Some think he has the ability to play nose tackle in the 3-4, others feel that he is purely a 1-gap 4-3 defensive tackle. No matter what scheme he plays in in the future, he has done an excellent job at getting his name back into the first round mix.
Stephen Paea breaking the NFL Combine Bench Press record – Video