The various events of the Underwear Olympics include one of the events of the real Olympics. Sort of.
The Summer Games include weightlifting, but not the bench press. In Indianapolis, one of the various tasks for the incoming recruits consists of pushing 225 pounds off the chest as many times as possible.
As Hall of Famer Warren Sapp has said during the coverage of the Scouting Combine in the past, they don’t put a weight bench on the football field during games. Former South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney may now want to say the same thing.
Clowney managed a mere 21 reps on Sunday. That’s three fewer than quarterback Brady Quinn pushed out seven years ago.
But Clowney got five more than Sapp’s 16 in 1995. (Sapp, who confirmed his total via text message this morning, points out that he pressed 225 pounds 16 times “and racked it.”) Despite the showing in the teens, things worked out fairly well for Sapp.
Not surprisingly, NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock shrugged at the result for Clowney.
“He’s an interesting deal,” Mayock said in a press conference after Sunday’s workouts. “The average I think for defensive linemen last year in the bench press was 24, so should Jadeveon Clowney have more than 24? Sure he should. However, he has long arms and I always say to people it’s the shorter, barrel-chested guys that rep out the most. But does it go to work ethic? He got 21. I really don’t care. And by the way, if he runs 4.42 or 4.62 [on Monday in the 40-yard dash], I really don’t care. I already think I know what he is: he’s the scariest,freakiest, physical specimen I’ve ever seen since I’ve been doing this as a potential upside defensive lineman. However, that doesn’t mean I’m saying he’s the best defensive lineman in the draft or the best play er in the draft because he worries me with some of the red flags.”
Mayock has raved about linebacker/defensive end Khalil Mack, with Mayock recently saying he’d take Mack before Clowney. Mack got only two more reps in the 225-pound bench press than Clowney.