Who is the strongest player ever in the NFL? Top 10

The NFL is a world of strong men, and some absolute monsters have played over the years, but who are the strongest men to ever take the field?

[@joka7316]

Not only was Larry Allen strong, but he was fast. There is footage on you tube of him chasing down and tackling a linebacker for the Saints who had intercepted a pass and Allen chased him for forty yards and got him. To have that speed and strength is why he is a legendary NFL player.

[@MartialFit50]

Absolutely

[@Finnssssss]

The film of Allen blocking 250-300lb+ linebackers and D-ends knocking them back 4-5 yardsin the air to see them slide another 7-10 yards along the ground was pure insanity.

[@letsssgooo4618]

Larry Allen is one of the greatest athlete to play in the nfl. Unfortunately he was also very dumb.

[@asphaltcowboy7567]

No

[@Rivet_Head242]

And that guy was a Track star State Champion in his own right .

[@mehllr]

I don't know about strongest, but Joe Klecko has highlights like these. My dad told me that Klecko would follow him around the weight room and add 100 lbs to whatever my dad did for his own workout. And my dad was benching 400 lbs in high school. Prime Klecko was an unblockable beast that other teams could only double team and pray!

[@neilschauer5080]

These guys all used

[@JB-fp5ud]

@@neilschauer5080 They all used women ?

[@natureboy1313]

A 400lb bench @ 17/18 yrs old in high school. Hard to believe. Your father was a bad dude.

[@nickriggio8807]

I saw Joe do that very thing!

[@firepit718]

The Sack Exchange was one of my favorite Jet teams! All the best to you and your dad!

[@Daniel-qx6bg]

Ed White, offensive lineman who played for the Vikings and Chargers was thought of as the strongest player in the league during his tenure. He tore phone books in half with his bare hands and was the unofficial arm wrestling champion of the league. He occasionally tipped the scales at 300 lbs. before it became the vogue.

[@dlphcoracl9645]

John Hannah of the New England Patriots was a beast. He played at 275 lbs. which was significantly more than other offensive linemen at that time. However, what truly set him apart and made him a Hall of Famer was that he was an exceptional athlete and a technician, with perfect form and balance. If you want to see what a pulling guard should look like on a power sweep, dig up some of the old NFL clips of John Hannah.

[@John-hb5jm]

So correct HOG was the best football player I ever saw. Raiders fan...Hannah annihilated everything in his way.

[@spencergrimshaw]

Only one John Hannah, I remember watching him towards the middle to end of his career. Best drive blocker, one of the best pulling guards out in space to the second level. His games against Randy White are beyond description…

[@edsteadham4085]

And John Hannah always said Joe Klecko was a nightmare to play against...which makes me wonder why it took Klecko decades to make the HOF

[@christopherchilders1049]

Hannah might have been great but make no mistake LT is the best to ever play the game

[@MacTeee]

Like they used to say he was the only guard so good he didn't have to hold...

[@LuisGonzalez-gl4wc]

Forgot to mention Bob Young. He competed with Kolb in the World’s Strongest man

[@marcmillsap8835]

St Louis Cardinals center- Beast

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

Brother of legendary powerlifter Doug Young, who won the World Powerlifting Championship multiple times in his weight class.

[@neilschauer5080]

Bill Kazmaier was a great strongman who didn't make the cut when the Packers were bad

[@reelman4299]

This is a great list. I enjoyed watching. A friend of mine played in the NFL back in the 70's and early 80s for the packers. I once asked him who was the strongest guy he ever played against. He named a few guys that I had never heard of. One name that stuck in my memory was Derland Moore of the saints. He also told me that Leroy Selman was so physically strong that he that he was intimidating as hell. He also mentioned that Leroy never lifted weights. Imagine if Leroy had been on today's supplements and worked out.

[@CharlesDawson-sx4jb]

Lots of current players still don’t lift weights. These guys are genetic freaks.

[@ryanlynch290]

I went to high school with Shaun Rogers, who was an absolute beast. He wasn't a monster in the weight room, but the guy could just flat out play and had incredible football IQ. Cool guy too!

[@MarcPagan]

Thanks for a fun video ..the quality work/research is evident.

[@samuelmonson70]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@lip931]

This list has a serious omission. How Randy White is not mentioned is crazy. This guy was a freak in the weight room, and put up numbers better than several on this list.

[@Bowhunter777]

I think Joe klecko from the New York Jets should have been on that list

[@markvisconti4507]

Steve Courson??? Bench over 600, squat in the 800s, and deadlift in the high 800s to low 900s...in the 1980s. I saw him in the offseason working out at Farentinos in Boulder, CO...and he was a freak of strength.

[@Mma-basement-215]

Awesome video and channel brother love it

[@jimnorris4600]

Another guy 😊from the early Cowboy teams was Bob Lilly. Bob went to TCU and I can’ remember him having to turn sideways a little going thru the dorm door ways because his shoulders were so wide. The dude was a quiet monster who played for Dallas his whole lengthy career and could not be moved.

[@frikster5176]

Just imagine Joe Klecko watching this and shaking his head

[@steviehandsome4712]

A guy who worked at a Chicago land car dealership and knew a lot of bears players, said Steve mongo mcmichael once got so mad he crushed the steering wheel on his own corvette with his bare hands.

[@Prd64twl]

Great video! Well presented!

[@garystover5387]

I would be interested in seeing a more defined list, say a pound-for-pound position ranking for strongest NFL players or a compilation of player rankings throughout the decades for a "then to now" comparison. Growing up a Steelers fan, I knew all of the names on the list (Steve Courson was missing tho). Your video was good, I just think that it only scratched the surface of the many "strongmen" that have played in the league.

[@rgtug1]

I often heard that Casey Hampton former nose tackle for the Steelers was incredibly strong.

[@natureboy1313]

As was Carlton Haselrig for the Steelers

[@terrybader8595]

Can't argue with Larry Allen. I'd add a couple of monsters from the 1970's- Bob Brown, a HOF offensive lineman who John Madden said was the strongest player he ever coached, and Curley Culp, who was a NCAA heavyweight wrestler and an unmovable, All-Pro nose tackle.

[@MartialFit50]

For sure !! It’s about functional strength. Wrestlers have different strength. Larry Allen hit guys and they left the tv screen. Culp’s base from being an NCAA wrestling champion did make him hard to push backwards.

[@terrybader8595]

100%. John Randle said Larry was like a tree stump, totally unmovable . He said no one ever said, "I'm gonna bull rush Larry!"

[@lmcc0072]

On the field Larry Allen and Reggie White were the 2 strongest that I’ve ever seen. They would literally throw other 300 lb. linemen out of their way and they made it look almost effortless. Both also had pretty good speed for their size as well.

[@wadewilson8011]

Pound for pound Lawrence Taylor was stronger. Yeah, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, and Larry Allen were tossing around 300lb linemen like ragdolls, but they were nearly 300 themselves. Larry WAS 300 at one point. LT was 243 and doing the exact same thing. And it was without weightlifting. And I don't want to hear about the cocaine because who WASN'T doing coke in the '80s.

[@thomasgallagher7092]

Jon Kolb, an solid offensive lineman for the Steelers in the 70’s , competed on Worlds Strongest Man competitions several times

[@MartialFit50]

Functional strength is the key. Reggie White threw guys around. Randy White did the same. Curly Culp was a total stud and former D1 National Champion wrestler and wrestling strength is all about being functional.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

Russ Grim used to push Randy White around like he was on roller skates.

[@matthewdunham1689]

Hog Hannah was a great wrestler also.

[@MartialFit50]

@@CRAZYHORSE19682003Erik Williams had Reggie White’s number for a couple of seasons

[@whatever_it_takes6691]

Bob Lilly

[@odinquincannon4237]

Saw the title of this video and absolutely expected to see the beast, Joe Klecko somewhere on your list. Really nice guy too.

[@bobbyhillthuglife]

Great video!

[@backagain5216]

Honourable mention to me. I can bench 135 for 50 reps if I have spotters for the last 45 reps.

[@andrewmalcolm7414]

Great video Sam

[@samuelmonson70]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Gman84CB]

Interesting stuff, just purely on eye test a player I recall for his amazing strength was Jumpy Geathers, who would use his forklift move to basically pick up offensive lineman and drive them back to the Quarterback!

[@samuelmonson70]

Not to mention phenomenal name!

[@Andy-kw5nw]

Ed Newman, an all-pro guard for the Dolphins in the 80’s could bench press over 500lbs and was a powerlifter.

[@markcarr3196]

I’d like to see where Vince Wilfork from the Patriots checks in. The Butt Fumble vs the Jets happened because Wilfork threw his blocker into Sanchez.

[@meldridge51]

Well dude I was squatting with 705 and benching 505 with a deadlift of 705 while I weighed a mere 235lbs at the age of 27 but I couldn’t compete against the guys on steroids! I was all natural and never did steroids! At 6ft. 235 I set personal lifting records that was very hard for a natural lifter to achieve with out the aid of steroids! Today I’m 6ft. 290 and have had several injuries and surgeries as a result of lifting heavy weights! Sometimes Ego gets in your head and you push your body to places you shouldn’t! The result in the long run are not good! Thank you!

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

You sound like the Hall-of-Fame softball player Ed “The Baron” Bernauer. Man, could he hit a softball a mile, back in the 1960’s/1970’s.

[@joshuastefanick4806]

No u didnt

[@virgil1962]

Liar

[@flameduelist81]

Love the mutant league poster in background

[@samuelmonson70]

ELITE game!

[@scottyoung4226]

Thank you for a great video! I would bet a deep dive on Justin Ernest would make a great video topic. I had never heard of him until seeing this, but I just pulled up his spider chart. How did that guy go undrafted? Record breaking bench press, 90th percentile in broad jump, and 96th percentil in 40 yard dash and 20 yard shuttle, and an all conference pick in college? How was he not worth taking a gamble on?

[@Jarhead0331]

Larry Allen’s spotter was also one of the strongest men in NFL. He is on record doing an upright row with 700 lbs😂

[@joshuastefanick4806]

Spotters*

[@davee164]

Exactly. Not even close to a legitimate lift.

[@Ghoster311]

Who was that?

[@nagasakee]

Agree with John Hannah as one of the best, but you also need to put G Ed White (Vikings/Chargers) on the list. Often called "The" strongest.

[@dannyzuehlsdorf3697]

One of the strongest pound for pound players was Raiders' RB Napoleon Kaufman who at 5' 9 and 190lbs was a MONSTER in the weight room, easily benching 400+ for reps.

[@brucem.915]

I agree with you. The UW Husky legend was also blessed with amazing speed. I believe he was the 100m and 200m champ coming out of California high school. The man is truly blessed.

[@danielives379]

Same with Austin Eckler of LA Chargers. Everyone on that team say pound for pound Eckler is strongest on team.

[@DonaldRickert]

Two guys and former Chargers that you may have overlooked: Igor Olshansky and Dennis "Conan" McKnight.

[@samuelmonson70]

Igor was definitely a beast!

[@hugohi4597]

Reggie White threw Allen around like a rag doll

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

An OLD Joe Jacoby threw Reggie White around like a rag doll in the playoffs.

[@patrickkelley6212]

Very interesting and impressive!!!

[@champat187198220]

If Rich Williams would’ve signed, he would have been the strongest player in NFL history. He just decided he was done with football after the Blue/Gray game in 03 but set all kinds of strength records. In his mid 40s and drug free he is a lean 340lbs and despite health issues is still capable of making world class feats look easy

[@dezzdinn]

You need to check out the strong man comps back in the 90’s and late 90’s. Also all modern era has had their functions of “enhancements” from the 70’s when alternative substances was introduced into the states.

[@samuelmonson70]

Used to watch them back then when i was a kid. Magnus Vermagnussen etc!

[@lockedonlaw]

If weightlifting was an indicator of talent Tony Mandarich would be on this list.

[@peterwhite507]

There is a video of Reggie White where they show his arm under the tackles arm and lifts the guy out of his way technique. One of the tackles he is literally lifting with one arm out of his way is Larry Allen. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3zMaIh3fMRjqLM

[@marknelson8724]

The Reggie White hump move.

[@Kyle-tt1lv]

I smile at the Mutant League Football poster. It's a nice fit there on your right.

[@samuelmonson70]

Elite game!

[@Kyle-tt1lv]

@@samuelmonson70 Elite - just like John Hannah! I've heard teams favor a wrestling background in offensive linemen, but it seems shot put also correlates to success. I know Randall McDaniel was a shot putter.

[@OntheHook55]

Larry Allen had legendary status in college at Sonoma State University…I went to Cossack football games just to watch him…it didn’t take long for those Div 3 defensive players to realize that they were no match for Allen..they put the effort in, but that’s all it was..effort

[@Dadof5-4]

No Bob Young? Bob placed in the top three in the same WSC that John Kolb was in.

[@Mr1gladiatore]

Willie Roaf and LaRoi Glover each won bench press competitions against other linemen and it wasn't even close. They each smoked the competition.

[@samuelmonson70]

Willie Roaf is a good shout, guy was a house!

[@danmartin3183]

Michael Carter was no slouch. Olympic silver medalist in the shot put and Super Bowl champion with the 49ers.

[@user-iy1dv7ss4p]

Should have been on this list . He was stronger in high school than some of these guys . Threw the shot 81 feet .

[@gladius1275]

Wow, didn’t expect half of this video to be Steelers, truly men of Steel play there.

[@windyrun7979]

What about Randy White? He was fast too. I remember Dallas had a play where white would take one step forward, turn left, then plow the entire offense line away creating huge holes for linebackers to enter

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

Randy White got dominated by Russ Grim.

[@lip931]

@@CRAZYHORSE19682003 - Russ had 2 good games against Randy out of about 20, and they were at the tail end of Randy's career. Talk to some coaches off the record.

[@jhors7777]

Great video, thank you

[@letsssgooo4618]

Larry Allen And Reggie White. White maybe not in the weight room but his functional strength was insane. Allen had both.

[@josephmcquillen6840]

Joe DeLamielleure benched 600lbs. at 6'3", 250lbs.

[@MartialFit50]

Did he really? The Buffalo Bill ?

[@joshuastefanick4806]

B.s. and you think Larry Allen benched 700lbs 😅😅😅😅😅😅. All his spotters helped 😂😂😂😂

[@nickarrigo5540]

not a chance. that'd make him the best bencher in history

[@josephmcquillen6840]

Not really. Koltonski at 242 benched 677. That said all the "NFL" lifts are unofficial. It looked like Larry Allen was getting a little help from the spotters with the 700. Do any of these guys actually lock out their elbows on these lifts. I don't know. I wasn't at the gym. I just read it.@@nickarrigo5540

[@kevinthomes1046]

Randy White should be on this list.

[@salvatoreperez5113]

U mean Reggie?

[@drobson8004]

​@@salvatoreperez5113No, he means Randy. A Cowboy legend and monster.

[@Picasso_305]

A large number of these guys were in an era when steriods and HGH were not or could not be tested from. By 2000 or so even HGH could be detected

[@keithdoherty9155]

for sure..

[@tomgarrett6303]

Steelers had steroid program that made East Germans blush.

[@BadBrucey]

It looks like Larry had a few people helping him out with that bench press

[@samuelmonson70]

Not sure the guys on the end had any part of it, but the spotter sure did. Either way, the fact he's even close to that in just shorts and a t shirt as an active NFL player is crazy.

[@silverhorder1969]

Bobby Boucher had a temper fueled rage like no other though.

[@lesschoenberger3070]

Rich "Tombstone" Jackson had brute natural strength too...

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

Deacon Jones said that is where he got the head slap from.

[@jimnorris4600]

I think you missed a guy. The late John Ayers of the Montana era 49ers. I remember that all the Niners acknowledged John as the “MAN”. Also whenever they played the Giants featuring Lawrence Taylor Walsh would assign Ayers the task of blocking Taylor. John was the only guy in the league who had Taylor’s number and could erase him as a force for most of the game.

[@charleshammer2928]

I'm a 50+ year Giant fan, Ayers was The ONLY man I ever saw who pancaked LT. I had no idea that he had passed RIP. So many big powerful linemen like Reggie White and Mike Webster pass at a young age.

[@kyleharrison713]

Go watch the two times Reggie threw Larry to the ground with one arm and tell me who you think is stronger, lmao. Reggie all day.

[@MartialFit50]

Reggie had the most functional strength for sure. So did former D1 National Champion wrestler Curly Culp who is Hall of Fame.

[@bryanprince2708]

Mutant League Football!!! I lost so much time in my life to that game. We need a new version.

[@stephenmcguire7342]

Reggie White never tossed Erik Williams around like a rag doll.

[@MartialFit50]

Erik had Reggie’s number for a couple of years before that car accident in 1994

[@the_Sage71]

​@MartialFit50 Yea he did. I love Reggie but it's true.

[@MP-tf7cc]

Hannah's nickname was "Hog". Very strong AND powerful. Not sure Kolb was stronger than Webster. I seem to remember them both in the same competition, and Webster dominating. Of course that was just one point in time, and both were known to enhance their capabilities chemically.

[@obbor4]

Kolb benched 570 and wss considered the strongest player in the NFL at that time.

[@spencergrimshaw]

Kolb won the cheat curl, Mike full squat and bench. Remember it like it was yesterday. I was in HS and a lineman , strength training was relatively new for HS….

[@A.R.B.J.]

I saw a defensive player I can't remember being interviewed and when asked if he ever played against any players that scared him. He replied, only one. Larry Allen.

[@ejax3243]

How bout Randy "The Manster" White DT of the Cowboys? He once benched 450 for 10 reps. A hall of famer and one of the best defensive tackles of all time.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

Rus Grimm used to push Randy White all over the field like he was on roller skates.

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

Glaring error: Jon Kolb of the Steelers. OLT. Benched 555. Won the 1st NFL Strongest Man. (Time Stamp shows John Cobb.)

[@shawnj1966]

If I remember correctly, he beat Bill Kazmaier in the tug of war at the WSM and cost him the championship. Kolb won that entire event because despite being smaller than the other competition in weight, his grip strength and large hands were tailor made for it.

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

@@shawnj1966 Wow! Great memory! I had forgotten about that. Jon was a fabulous tackle. He was overshadowed by so many of the great Steelers. I watched him on every offensive play on the televised games over the years.

[@UmHmm328]

Reggie White did a standing Military Press of 385 lbs at the 1988 Superstars Competition

[@TomSchoenke]

Larry Allen came from that football factory Sonoma St. They played CSUN( Cal St Northridge) 9/25/93 at North Campus Stadium attendance 2,867. I never went to a game because I was watching college football at Pizzasaurus Rex, or taking Improv classes at the precursor to the Comedy Underground. I was also chasing Renee Felix. Yeah Buddy!!!

[@laskahusky7313]

i sneaked into a patriots pre season summer camp at a hs near foxsboro..no pads just shorts and stuff...i am a bodybuilder.....i saw john Hannah and couldn't believe how muscular he was...he could have easily been a contender for mr Olympia

[@MP-tf7cc]

Hannah was a beast and a half. He looked like "two guys wrestling in a sack" according to one opponent.

[@ericrobinson1789]

Larry Allen was just a monster!

[@obbor4]

Not near the top in brute strength, but former Raiders safety Eddie Anderson was reported to bench over 500 pounds while weighing about 200.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

Joe Jacoby should be on the list. Howie Long said Jacoby was the strongest player he ever played against. In the playoff game against the Eagles three weeks after the body bag game, an old Joe Jacoby played RT against a Reggie White in his prime and physically DOMINATED him, pushing him all over the field. His highlight tape is AWESOME.

[@Jarhead0331]

Mike Kudla was pretty impressive out of OSU

[@michaelp5518]

Bob Young was up there.

[@marknelson8724]

I think Ted Washington was pretty strong. As a nose tackle, he was so good that no team could afford to have him for very long.

[@rachelreno3287]

Also for perspective, the 700 lb squat he keeps referring to, you start seeing in national level powerlifting competition around the 181 lb weight class

[@beelzebob23]

Mutant League Football. So much nostalgia.

[@ravenlegal4551]

Robert Stafford Brown, Bob Brown, Eagles, Rams and Raiders--- You missed him. He deserves to be on the list

[@jerrygoldfarb7739]

Where's Ed White?

[@joekeenan6435]

The strongest player in NFL history is Terry Long, he totaled 2203 in the powerlifts, at the time, only two men in the world totaled more.

[@pallen1065]

No mention of Michael Carter (or his sister). As for the greatest defensive player on any gridiron, he weighed c. 150 and played his last season 130 years ago ..

[@leonlong4736]

Curley Culp deserves a mention as well.

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

Thank you. My all-time favorite NFL player.

[@MartialFit50]

Yes sir !!! ASU D1 National HWT Champion and most pins in the tournament. Wrestling strength is different. He has to be functionally as strong as any NFL player, ever.

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

@@MartialFit50 Yes! Did you see the KZbin video of his 1967 championship match? What a physique!

[@MartialFit50]

@@Zane_Zaminsky yes sir !! He was a hulk !!!!

[@terrybader8595]

100%! He was unmovable at nose guard.

[@gary30229]

Steve McMicheal could bends some bars!

[@abrahamjackson6019]

Hog Hannah and Larry Allen are the greatest Guards to ever play the game..

[@Zane_Zaminsky]

Honorable mention: Larry Little, Mike Munchak, Gene Upshaw, Walt Sweeney. Sweeney made 9 Pro Bowls.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

You also have to put former Cowboys RT Eric Williams in the conversation. Before that terrible car accident that tore up his right leg he used to OWN Reggie White. From 92-95 Eric Williams made Reggie INVISIBLE on the field.

[@iexposu01]

Ed White

[@TommyRibs]

Kris Jenkins had unbelievable strength.

[@joel387ktm]

Larry allen was unreal beast of a human

[@matthewdunham1689]

Speed and strength equal power. That’s more important than being able to bench or squat a world record.

[@ajgrant94]

Simple: Whoever can deadlift the most. That's a true indicator of power, Not the joke bench press.

[@MacTeee]

In addition to being crazy strong, Larry Allen could also be on your Top 10 fastest guys list...remember him running down that linebacker from the Saints to prevent a pick 6? Hands down the fastest 300+ lber ever!!!

[@whatever_it_takes6691]

I saw a video where Thor was dressed up in Minnesota Viking pads.

[@angeloiodice9304]

Jon Runyan was a monster

[@drock5404]

Dexter Coakley "Son of a bricklayer"

[@joeknoblauch9630]

Joe Klecko of the New York Jets

[@aaronbrock9480]

Based on what I saw them do on the football field, I thought these players were insanely strong: William Perry, Jerome Brown, Dwight White and Dexter Manley.

[@geoffreylee9895]

Randy White was well known for his strength during my era…

[@JL-fx5cm]

I'm an Eagles fan, and I will never be able to stop thinking of Reggie absolutely decleating Larry Allen. Great video, though. However, give me Lawrence Taylor on two hours of sleep and three lines of cocaine and he is the SCARIEST player of all time.

[@bimini1216]

Pittsburgh steelers 1970s ....all amazing amazing strong. They recruited athletes vs football players

[@thomasblumettesr.3004]

There has to be a connection between being the strongest man and a great NFL player as well. With that said the following players in my book are the greatest: Reggie White, John Hannah, Larry Allen, Ed White, Randy White, Mike Webster and Larry Allen. And let's not forget about Bob Lilly of the Dallas Cowboys, I saw him play against the Philadelphia Eagles one Sunday afternoon and he was unblock able.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

Rus Grimm ate up Randy White so bad that he caused Randy to bulk up to almost 290 pounds to keep from getting destroyed by Grimm. For whatever reason they HATED each other. My favorite story about their rivalry was in the NFC championship game. The Redskins are up on Dallas with about seven minutes to go in the game. Coach Gibbs calls a play, Russ Grim say nope, 50 gut with is a run play right over Randy White. Rus Grim changed the play NINE times in a row as they ran the ball right down Randy Whites throat. Russ Grimm was yelling at him every play, were coming right at you Randy. Joe Jacoby was even stronger. I saw him chuck Ed Too Tall Jones five yards on a pulling play once. Howie Long said Joe Jacoby was the strongest player he ever played against by a wide margin.