Star Running Back NFL Draft target of the Cowboys, Ravens, and Bears is rising after dominating NFL Combine
Now that the NFL Combine is behind us, it's time to identify which star prospects are top potential targets for teams as the NFL Draft approaches. After spending the entire week in Indianapolis talking with 50+ players, and 30+ NFL team staff members it's time to talk through some of the top rising stars and […]
Now that the NFL Combine is behind us, it's time to identify which star prospects are top potential targets for teams as the NFL Draft approaches. After spending the entire week in Indianapolis talking with 50+ players, and 30+ NFL team staff members it's time to talk through some of the top rising stars and which teams likely draft them. Today, we're talking Trey Benson, RB Florida State.
When I spoke with Trey Benson at the NFL Combine he told me that he had formal interviews with half of the teams in the NFL during Combine week. However, he highlighted three running back needy teams in particular the Cowboys, Ravens, and Bears that seemed very interested. The Texans, Colts, and Rams did come up as official formal interviews as well, but have less questions at running back. It seems the majority of the league was quite interested in adding Trey Benson prior to his incredible NFL Combine performance.
Benson had been trending toward being a possible round two NFL Draft pick via the most recent mock draft data, but after blowing up at the NFL Combine he should have several teams looking to reach for "their guy" with Benson.
As we outlined earlier this week, Benson posted a 90th percentile A to Z Sports Athletic Composite Score and second best size adjusted speed score among all running backs at the NFL Combine.
Benson's 4.39-second forty at 216 pounds was almost identical to Breece Hall, good for a 95th percentile Speed Score. His Burst Score wasn't quite as impressive, but his on-field play strength and ability to speed past defenders trumps his "average" jump tests.
When I asked him about his rare combination of speed and elusiveness that has so many NFL teams interested here's what he had to say:
"I just run, honestly. You know. Some of my teammates call me Forrest Gump because I just run. You know, I make cuts sometimes, but really just running and not being caught, using my speed and my power. People underestimate my speed because of my size"
This shows up all over Benson's tape. Lineman, linebackers, and defensive backs frequently take bad angles on Benson because he's just so much faster than expected out of his breaks and through any little hole in the defense.
We went on to talk briefly about how he recovered from injury (where he tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus), and that makes his top tier athletic testing even more impressive. He's still just two years removed from a complete rebuild on his knee. Benson said he lost more than 20 pounds amidst his rehab and recovery, but is now (according to him) faster and stronger than ever.
With all three of the teams that seemed most interested in him (Cowboys, Ravens, and Bears) having picks between picks 56 and 75 it seems that's the most likely range for him to be taken. However, last week I also learned that the Vikings, Packers, and Eagles all met with several running backs in formal interviews too. Given how well Benson performed, pick 42 to the Vikings certainly isn't out of the question.
Be looking for more team target pieces at A to Z this week as we sift through all the intel coming out of the NFL Combine. Feel free to follow me on X @FF_TravisM for more like this too.
