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You don’t earn the nickname “Cyborg” in college if you’re not built like a brick shithouse.
Aside from being a first-team All American at Maryland, Vernon Davis set school strength records for a tight end in the bench press (460 pounds), power-clean (380 pounds), index (824 pounds) and squat (685 pounds).
A couple years back, Muscle & Fitness posed the question: Is Vernon Davis the NFL’s best-ever athlete?, providing data points that make the question seem far less outlandish:
- 6’3”, 253 pounds
- 480 pound bench press
- 4.38 40-yard dash
- 42-inch vertical leap
The now retired tight end is, by all metrics, a freak of nature.
We recently sat down with Vernon to not only discuss his cartoonish strength, but the two NFL players who gave him a run for his money in his career.
Listen at the 1 hour, 37 minute mark.
- TRENT WILLIAMS
Trent Williams makes it look easy pic.twitter.com/PE8sEsW2gm
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) October 20, 2020
In 2016, 6-foot-5 offensive lineman went viral for repping pull-ups with a 90-pound weight belt coupled with his 320-pound frame.
O M G … Trent Williams at LT. 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
pic.twitter.com/1EwiXM6Uvu— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 13, 2020
He also nearly murdered Richard Sherman.
That time when Trent Williams was about to give Richard Sherman a fade! #FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/iUF8kE3GQ1
— History of Sports (@BeforeFamePics) June 3, 2016
2. ISAAC SOPOAGA

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“Naturally strong. If you were looking at him, you probably think he could lift a house. So strong. His calf muscle, it would probably take six of my calve muscles together to look like his.”
The 6-foot-2, 320 pounder enjoyed a decade-long career in the NFL after setting the single season sack record for JUCO (College of the Canyons) at 31. The giant Samoan was capable of throwing the ball 78 yards flat-footed because as a kid he’d throw rocks at coconuts up to 70 feet high hanging from the trees. He claimed developed enough strength and accuracy to knock down five or six coconuts in a matter of five minutes.
I believe him.
Thanks for the kava Isaac Sopoaga haha. Look at the size of this Samoan machine pic.twitter.com/shM1JHcnni
— Dan Carter (@DanCarter) December 2, 2013
Listen to the entire podcast with Vernon Davis (and ESPN analyst Jay Williams) below: