On Sunday in Indianapolis, former Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson nearly entered the record books. He cranked out 26 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, which was just one short of the WR record of 27, set before by four other players. He’s still rehabbing a late-season hamstring injury, so it was a huge achievement until it turned into a rules debate.

Once Jordyn Tyson’s bench press video clips hit social media, the scrutiny began. Fans are now calling his performance “illegal” and urging the NFL to investigate, accusing the WR of using his glutes to lift off the bench during reps. And that goes against the official NFL Combine rules. 

“The bar must touch the chest, the elbows must straighten completely at the top, the butt must remain in contact with the bench, and the hips may not rise up during the upward press motion,” the NFL rule states.

There’s a clear biomechanical reason why lifting the hips has triggered so much backlash against Jordyn Tyson. It’s a classic powerlifting trick. Arching the back and driving through the glutes recruits the lower chest and drastically cuts the bar’s travel distance. This, in turn, transforms a pure upper-body endurance test into a full-body mechanical advantage.

In the circulated footage, Jordyn Tyson’s hips appear to pop up more than once. Fans are demanding a review, and some are even calling for his 26 reps to be wiped from the board entirely. So far, the NFL hasn’t publicly commented, and the WR’s official total still stands.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

So, is the NFL going to actually wipe Tyson’s reps? When we take a look back at history, it seems unlikely because the Combine officials generally call out illegal form in real time. Since the judge did not wave them off, the league rarely retroactively erases official numbers just because social media has decided to play the role of the armchair referee.

This bench press matters for Jordyn Tyson because he didn’t run the 40 or do the other speed drills because of the hamstring injury he suffered late in the 2025 season. Speed, route running, and hands drive value at the position. But at 6’2 and 215 pounds, his physical profile is part of his appeal. Scouts like receivers who can win through contact, and upper-body strength plays into that.

That made the bench press one of the few measurable data points teams got from him at the combine. If that number gets questioned, it could shift his draft stock heading into April. While the bench press number is now under a microscope, scouts won’t forget what Tyson has already put on tape. In three college seasons, he was a consistent force, logging 2,498 all-purpose yards and 22 TDs, proving he’s more than just a workout warrior.

Fans are divided over Jordyn Tyson’s combine controversy

To some viewers, Jordyn Tyson’s clip looked strange. “Who bounces like that when benching? lol,” one fan wrote. If the hips are lifting, even slightly, that opens the door to scrutiny. The next one is a harsh reaction, but the logic is simple. “Rules is rules. this was a set of 0 reps,” they wrote.

Others think this is going to pull him behind in the draft. “Boi he dropped his stock with improper reps,” another commented. Jordyn Tyson is projected as a likely top-15 pick, but perception does matter. But not everyone is piling on. Bench press has long been debated as a useful metric for receivers. One user, “Bad technique, however, it’s a WR. Bench press is a terrible measurement for WR.”

Another fan echoed a common sentiment–on-field performance should outweigh combine metrics. “He’s a receiver. Who cares? His play on the field is all that matters,” they wrote. But strength isn’t irrelevant. If you’re facing a press-heavy corner that can bench the same or more, that jam at the line becomes a real problem.

Jordyn Tyson is still one of the most physically imposing WRs in this draft class. If the 26 reps stand, he’ll enter the league as one of the strongest wideouts in recent Combine history. But as April approaches, we’ll wait and see if the NFL decision-makers have anything to say about it.