It’s amazing to think that many of the guys we watch playing professional football every Sunday belong to the same species as you and I.
The strength and and athletic ability that many of these guys possess is something that most people can’t even fathom. And among those guys, there are still the best of the best: the guys with abilities that are stuff you could only imagine from superheroes.
To that end, here are five of the strongest guys in the NFL today:
Doug Martin, Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Doug Martin may have publicly said that he hates the nickname “Muscle Hamster” that was bestowed up on him, but it was given to him with good reason. While at Boise State University, where he got the nickname, Martin recorded a 530lb squat, 405lb bench press, and a hang clean of over 370lbs. Plus, he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.42 seconds, had a vertical leap of 37 inches, and did 28 reps of 225lbs on the bench press during the 2012 NFL combine; the latter of which was easily the most among all running backs that year. He is literally a bowling ball of muscles.
Marshawn Lynch, Running Back, Oakland Raiders — “Beast Mode” isn’t just a nickname for the way Marshawn Lynch plays the game of football. It’s basically a description for his overall athleticism. We might know him as a power running back who makes defenders pay when trying to tackle him, but this is a guy who has officially put up a 355lb bench press, 485lb squat, 315lb power clean, along with a 34" vertical jump and a time of 4.46 seconds in the 40 yard dash. His affinity for Skittles emerged as a kid, with his mom jokingly referring to them as his “power pellets.” Clearly, there must have been some truth in that.
Robert Turbin, Running Back, Indianapolis Colts — Robert Turbin was once described as someone who could have served in the Spartan army, as depicted in the movie “300.” He’s such a physical specimen that his former running backs coach referred to him as “beautiful.” And those muscles that he’s got piled on everywhere aren’t full of hot air, given the fact that he put up 28 repetitions of 225lbs on the bench press (tops among his draft class) and ran the 40 yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He’s never been able to apply his superhuman physical gifts to the running back position, although he could emerge as the starting running back for the Indianapolis Colts if something were to happen to the ageless Frank Gore.
Vic Beasley, Outside Linebacker, Atlanta Falcons — Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 235lbs, nobody questioned the raw athleticism and speed possessed by Clemson University standout Vic Beasley. But as a pass rusher, there were lots of questions as to whether he could “transfer speed to power,” the most critical element for edge rushers. That question remained — which seems ridiculous in hindsight — even after he did 35 repetitions of 225lbs on the bench press, which was a total that many ofensive lineman would be happy with. Combine that with the fact that he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.53 seconds (a number that many running backs would be happy with), you see why it’s not much of a surprise that Beasley has emerged as one of the top young pass rushers in the NFL.
Kam Chancellor, Safety, Seattle Seahawks — No member of the vaunted secondary of the Seattle Seahawks personifies the “Legion of Boom” moniker like Kam Chancellor. Every time they make a new “Terminator” film, they try to depict a bigger, badder, and scarier iteration of the cybernetic killing machines; Chancellor is essentially the equivalent to that, only as an NFL safety. It’s not just about the weight room numbers for Chancellor. Ratherl its’ about the way he inspires unbridled fear within the receiving corps of opponents, and the way he hits ball carriers so hard that it rattles the bones of their ancestors.
Originally written in a freelance capacity for TheSportsDrop.com
