With just two days left until the 2024 NFL Draft, 13 former Noles will have a chance to hear their names over the weekend. What these articles are trying to accomplish is to understand where the prospects most likely to be drafted are expected to go, which teams they met with, their metrics, and how scouts and executives It's about figuring out what it says about these players (if they're made at all). Available).
Jordan Travis was the first article, but now we'll focus on his backfield partner, running back Trey Benson.
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Benson started his career at Oregon State, but transferred to Florida State, where he had 1,896 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns, 33 catches for 371 yards and one touchdown, and one kickoff return touchdown in two seasons in Tallahassee. did. Benson suffered a bad knee injury early in his college career, which led many to doubt that Coach Norvell would take Benson to the transfer portal, but Benson did so early in his tenure. He showed a rare explosiveness for a player of his size, silencing any doubters. He is one of the best running backs in the country at breaking tackles and never had one in his college career.
measurement
Trey Benson measured in at 6'2/8'' and 216 lbs at the NFL Combine, but was slightly lighter than his reported playing weight of 223 lbs, with an arm length of 31.5 inches and a hand length of 31.5 inches. The size was 9.25 inches. .
He drew attention by running the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds and doing 23 reps on the bench press. His 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump was more impressive than his 33.5-inch vertical jump, but he still had a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.76 out of 10.
Visit/meeting
Benson visited Top 30 teams in early April with the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Buffalo Bills, and received special interest from the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. There are probably many other teams that have contacted us, but these are the main teams that have been reported.
what the scouts are saying
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: “A big back who may need to curb his desire to be an elusive runner and adopt a more physical, decisive approach as a pro. Benson was depleted in his college career. He had 20 carries per game and has good knee bend, agility, and contact balance, but he can't handle the front. He has creative athleticism but lacks creative vision, as he takes too long to hit the hole between the tackles. Benson has talent as a pass catcher and enough protection to warrant a role as a complementary three-down option. ”
nick baumgardner The Athletic (Paywall): ”Benson's athleticism for his size always stands out on tape. But the question arises as to how the situation for this running back class will play out come draft weekend… Benson is a great athlete, but teams may have concerns about his vision as a ball carrier. not. ”
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com: “Benson has many of the great traits coaches covet in a bell cowback. His production didn't necessarily match his potential in college, but Benson 's combination of size and speed could allow him to develop into a “pro.'' “
Former Vikings GM Rick Spielman: “I didn't think he would run'' [a 40-yard dash] It was in the 4.3 second range, but he achieved it. [4.39].There's no question that he overcame it. [2020] If you watch this kid's violent performance on tape, you'll hurt your knee. As I watched the LSU game, I said, “Who the hell is this kid?” In the opener. He just makes explosive plays. He has a nose for the end zone. Every time he approaches the goal line, he's scoring a goal. He has the talent to squeeze out and get to the end zone no matter what he has to do. Something he didn't get enough credit for, but was impressive to me, was his receiving skills out of the backfield. Go back and watch the Clemson game. He caught wheel routes out of the backfield that receivers couldn't catch.If it weren't for his knee injury and age [turns 22 in July], he's probably closer to my No. 1 running back. Those two nicks against him put him down a little bit. I think this kid is a really good football player. ”
Dana Brugler The Athletic (paywall): “Overall, Benson's vision and running ability tend to be spotty, but he executes hard off tackles with burst and balance and is able to stay afloat through contact. In the mold of Melvin Gordon, he will perform best as a member of an NFL committee, where he will have big-play potential on any down. ”
Expected draft range
In my opinion, Trey Benson is firmly established as a second-day pick. Draft Network says he's a day 3 pick, but I disagree with this as most others have him in the RB1 discussion. He could even be the RB1 on some teams' boards since the Texans' Jonathan Brooks injured his ACL. Teams may be enamored with the athleticism of Tennessee's Jalen Wright, but Benson has great athleticism as well.
The bigger question is where do running backs start coming off the board? Because once it's off, it's likely to happen to the running back.
The Cowboys currently have the 56th pick in the second round. The conversation begins there. The Cowboys have done extensive research on all their top running backs, so will anyone trade up before them, will the 56-year-old fall into the Cowboys' lap, or will Brooks, Wright, or Michigan's Blake -Are you going in a different direction for the column?
Other teams and second-day picks mentioned: Browns (54th and 85th), Bills (60th), Ravens (62nd and 93rd), Panthers (65th), Giants (47th and 70th) ), Broncos (76).
Buffalo has had success with James Cook all season, so it's hard to believe they would take a running back this high as they look to replenish talent at wide receiver and throughout the defense. The Ravens signed Derrick Henry this offseason, so they could go back into that room and use a young change of pace, but I also think they have bigger needs. Carolina is paying Miles Sanders a fair amount of money, and they need to focus purely on their best player. The Browns, Giants, Ravens and Cowboys are all logical destinations after Nick Chubb suffered another serious knee injury last season.
prediction
Right now, Benson is going to the Giants with the 70th pick, and I think that's the newest player he'll go to. Too many teams need a running back for him to finish any lower than this, and it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him break into the 50s. It's a very unpredictable group of running backs with uncertain turns. I would have been a little surprised if he was slower than the third running back.
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