Most memorable Chiefs-related moments in NFL Combine history
By Matt Conner
Tyler really was a Tank
Back in the 2007 pre-draft season, Tank Tyler came to the NFL Combine hoping to get the spotlight to return to his potential.
During the previous year, Tyler was part of a dynamic defensive front at N.C. State that featured numerous future NFL contributors, anchored by none other than Mario Williams, who would go on to become the top overall pick in the following draft. Along with him went John McCargo, Manny Lawson, and even linebacker Stephen Tulloch from a front seven that helped the team to a winning record. In 2006, when Tyler was left to carry much more of the load, the losses piled up, and the spotlight waned.
Tyler, however, wasn’t done turning heads and came into the NFL Combine hoping to show off his impressive strength. The bench press portion of the Combine drills features a 225-pound lift as scouts look for a player’s ability to lay down and allow a heavy weight to go straight up and down. (Seriously, what are these drills?)
Whatever the purpose, Tyler put on a show by lifting that bar 42 times. That was the highest total of any Combine prospect that year and set the record (which has since been broken a few times). For some perspective, only two other offensive linemen broke 40 and the closest defensive lineman was back at 34.
Strength, however, doesn’t equal success in the NFL and Tyler would flame out pretty quickly. Tyler would play three seasons in the NFL after being selected in the second round by the Chiefs in 2007. The Chiefs flipped him for a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in 2009 and he played a few more games there to round out his third season but that was it in the NFL. The Bears kept him around on the roster but he’d never play another game again.