Leander Wiegand is the strongest athlete ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. The offensive lineman excelled in the bench press at his pro day.

A German excels at his pro day!

Offensive lineman Leander Wiegand, who is part of the International Pathway Program (IPP), set the record for the bench press at the event held at the University of South Florida campus.

Offensive lineman Leander Wiegand is officially the strongest player in the 2025 NFL Draft! He managed 38 reps in the bench press with 102 kg in the USA – in recent weeks, he had prepared for this moment in Florida as part of the IPP youth development program… pic. twitter.com/ZOL175Q8ft

— NFL Deutschland (@NFLDeutschland) March 27, 2025

The 25-year-old completed 38 reps at 102 kg, making him the strongest of all NFL prospects ahead of the 2025 draft.

The gap to the competition was huge. TJ Maguranyanga from Zimbabwe with 26 repetitions and Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa from Great Britain/Zambia with 25 were still the best at the IPP-Pro Day, clearly lagging behind.

And even the top college talents couldn’t come close to matching Wiegand at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Guard Luka Kandra from the University of Cincinnati came closest with 33 repetitions.

NFL talent Wiegand: goal was even higher

But the powerhouse from Henstedt-Ulzburg in Schleswig-Holstein narrowly missed his personal goal:

“I want to do at least 40 reps. You just have to set an example and in the past five years nobody has pressed over 40 and so I think that would be something that would attract attention,” the young hopeful had previously told ‘sport.de’.

In 2024, big man Wiegand played in the ELF for the Munich Ravens.