1 min readThis story is part of Men's Health's Get NFL Strong package, a series of stories that explore the different kinds of physical and mental fitness it requires to succeed in the toughest sport on earth. Read all the stories here.
FEW SPORTS EPITOMIZE strength quite like the NFL. Football requires a blend of classic weight room strength (think: the raw bench-pressing power of offensive and defensive linemen and the explosive strength and agility of wide receivers and cornerbacks) and mental strength (like a QB’s processing power on every play). The NFL’s best players consistently showcase that strength—and they’re the stars of our first-ever MH Strong All-Pro team, which could go head-to-head with any pro squad both on the field and in the gym.
Joe Burrow
Bengals, 6’4”, 215 lb
Good luck matching the mental muscle of league’s career completion percentage leader.
Derrick Henry
Ravens, 6’3”, 247 lb
Squats 500 pounds 10 times, and has uncommon durability for an RB (played every game in 5 of 8 seasons).
Christian McCaffrey
Laremy Tunsil
Texans, 6’5”, 315 lb
Four-time Pro Bowler once benched 225 34 times.
Lane Johnson
Eagles, 6’6”, 330 lb
Converted college QB (athleticism!) hasn’t just lifted 705 pounds; he’s farmer’s-walked it across a gym.
Penei Sewell
Lions, 6’5”, 335 lb
Strength sessions focus on real-world moves, not weights – but it works: He allowed one sack all last year.
Trent Williams
49ers, 6’5”, 318 lb
Has the ultimate endorsement: Coverboy McCaffrey says Willliams is the strongest guy he’s ever seen, even at age 35. Williams can bench 415 without a warmup. Oh, and he made his 11th career Pro Bowl last season.
Creed Humphrey
Chiefs, 6’4”, 302 lb
Packs athleticism (33-inch vertical), strength (475-pound bench press) and agility.
DK Metcalf
Seahawks, 6’4”, 235 lb
Lifts heavy but hasn’t sacrificed speed. 2020 chasedown of Budda Baker ranks among league’s most legendary plays.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Lions, 6’0”, 203 lb
Benched 95 – at age 9. Slot receiver now has a 365-pound bench – and three straight 90-catch campaigns.
George Kittle
49ers, 6’5”, 250 lb
Makes 555-pound deadlift look easy (three reps), and led all TEs in receiving yards last year.
Chase Young
Saints, 6’5”, 265 lb
Fierce pulling strength: Once dumbbell-rowed 175 pounds for 20 reps at Ohio State.
Myles Garrett
Andrew Billings
Bears, 6’4”, 300 lb
Ex-powerlifter squatted 805 pounds and benched 500 – in high school.
Dexter Lawrence
Giants, 6’4”, 340 lb
Underrated key to his 21 career sacks, a 5.05-second 40 time few men his size can match.
Micah Parsons
Cowboys, 6’3”, 245 lb
Used 4.36 40 speed and insane 380-pound power clean to pile up 14 sacks last year.
T.J. Watt
Steelers, 6’4”, 252 lb
Model of consistency has topped 14 sacks in 5 of his 7 pro seasons.
Roquan Smith
Ravens, 6’1”, 236 lb
Has used 4.51 40 speed to pile up 5 seasons of 100-plus tackles – and he can dunk a basketball.
Sauce Gardner
Jets, 6’3”, 201 lb
Once knocked for skinny legs, he now runs a 4.41-second 40 and is NFL’s most feared corner.
Jalen Ramsey
Dolphins, 6’1”, 208 lb
Few can match his 41.5-inch vertical leap, which has helped him pile up 22 career interceptions.
Kyle Hamilton
Ravens, 6’4”, 220 lb
2023 Pro Bowler has prototypical safety size – and a Mensa-level 132 IQ.
Kamren Curl
Rams, 6’1”, 210 lb
Crushed 24 bench-press reps of 225 pounds at NFL Combine – and piled up 115 tackles last year.
Younghoe Koo
Falcons, 5’9”, 194 lb
Here’s mental toughness: After being undrafted in 2017 and cut in 2019, he’s reemerged to nail 84.8% of his field goal attempts from beyond 40 yards.
Ethan Evans
Rams, 6’3”, 231 lb
With a 675-pound deadlift and 595-pound squat, second-year punter may be this team’s strongest player.
HOW WE CHOSE THE MH STRONG ALL-PRO NFL TEAM: Our selection committee built full offensive, defensive, and special-teams starting lineups, searching for players who delivered both on-field production and weight-room strength.
The selection committee:
Matt Blank, NASM, fitness trainer
David Otey, C.S.C.S., MH advisor
Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., MH Fitness Director
Melvin Sanders, C.S.C.S., fitness trainer
Brett Williams, NASM, MH Senior Fitness Editor
Player headshots: Getty Images.
This story appears in the September-October 2024 issue of Men's Health.
For more stories in our Get NFL Strong series about peak mental and physical performance, click here.
