The runningback position may be dying, but there are several talented ones in the 2024 NFL Draft, including Florida State’s Trey Benson
Trey Benson NFL Draft Overview
Position: Runningback
Height: 6’1″ (Unofficial)
Weight: 221 pounds (Unofficial)
School: Florida State
Trey Benson 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Trey Benson, a 4-star recruit, is widely expected to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. Benson was the sixth-ranked player coming out of Mississippi in the 2020 recruiting class. After sitting out his Freshman season at Oregon, Benson finally saw some carries in 2021. In practice, Benson suffered a catastrophic knee injury that required surgery on several different parts of his knee. After two seasons, Benson decided to leave Eugene and enter his name into the transfer portal. Benson had several offers and ultimately landed in Florida State.
In two seasons at Florida State, Benson became a household name in the sport. Benson amassed 2,266 total yards across his two seasons, landing firmly in the NFL Draft conversation. He routinely came up in big moments for the Seminoles, springing long runs late in games. Benson is a big play waiting to happen with his blend of contact balance and speed. He played a huge part in the resurgence of Florida State football and was a leader on the team.
Strengths
- Can quickly cut and get skinny in the hole
- Can turn upfield with no wasted motion and get a full head of steam
- Great contact balance, especially when moving at full speed
- Can accelerate quickly, destroying defenders’ tackling angles
- Long speed is not elite, but he can certainly run away from people and hit home runs
- Flashed some receiving ability in limited reps (Great sideline back-shoulder adjustment vs Clemson this season)
- Rarely goes down on first contact
- Best reps come on plays where he is decisive and confident and just hits the hole
- Gets extra yardage falling forward and keeping his legs churning.
- Powerful and efficient stiff-arm
Weaknesses
- Occasionally is impatient when letting blocks develop
- His worst reps occur when he’s indecisive and doesn’t quickly choose a hole to attack
- Again, long speed leaves a little to be desired
- Not incredibly experienced in the passing game, resulting in some pass protection reps where he is indecisive and slow to react
- North and South runner who has trouble bouncing some runs outside
NFL Comparison: 85% Jonathan Taylor
Projection: Day Two Pick
Best Fits: Teams that ask backs to get North and South as opposed to hitting the sideline.
Bottom Line on Trey Benson
Trey Benson can flat-out play football. He possesses a great blend of size, speed, and contact balance. While the measurements and testing are still to come, teams are going to be captivated by the physical profile. Benson hit countless runs of ten or more yards in these two seasons in Tallahassee. He is going to be a favorite of many teams and can easily go in the second round. One of the biggest concerns with Benson is going to be his knee. The injury he sustained was unbelievably challenging and there will be plenty of teams concerned about his long-term viability. Regardless of the concerns, Benson is absolutely going to be a player who gets on the field and sees the ball in the NFL.
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