Punter With Arms ‘Like Logs’ Puts on a Show at the N.F.L. Combine

Let it never be said that N.F.L. prospects do not support each other.

As Michael Turk, a 21-year-old punter out of Arizona State, approached the bench press at the N.F.L. draft scouting combine in Indianapolis on Thursday, he was cheered on by a crowd of prospects undoubtedly baffled by the sight of the only punter participating in the test. The crowd’s encouragement, and the enthusiasm of Turk’s spotter, Chad Englehart, helped power the special teams hopeful to 25 repetitions of 225 pounds — a record for a punter since the N.F.L. began keeping official combine statistics in 2003.

In a video of the performance, Turk hesitates after 21 reps, but with the crowd roaring, and Englehart, a strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins shouting for him to continue, Turk powered his way to four more. The enthusiasm as Turk lifted, and the reaction online afterward, somewhat overshadowed Henry Ruggs III, a wide receiver out of Alabama who recorded a 4.27-second 40-yard dash on Thursday — tied for the fourth-fastest time since 2006.

To say Turk set a bench press record for a punter, however, would understate the feat, because punters rarely participate in the weight lifting portion of the combine. For better context, consider some of the players who completed fewer reps of the same weight in recent years:

• Bradley Chubb, a 270-pound defensive end who was selected fifth overall in 2018, recorded 24 reps.

• T.J. Watt, a 252-pound linebacker who was first-team All-Pro in 2019, recorded 21 reps in 2017.

• Derrick Henry, Tennessee’s wrecking ball of a running back, did 22 reps in 2016.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/sports/football/punter-combine-bench-press-michael-turk.html