Stetson Bennett will be one of 12 Georgia players present at the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis next week. Bennett will meet with teams while also participating in drills and athletic tests in the combine.
Bennett demonstrated his skills throughout his time with Georgia. While Bennett is older than some of his peers, he is the same age as Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker. Bennett also has similar metrics to Bryce Young, whom NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah sees as a No. 1 overall pick should a quarterback-needy team move up to No. 1.
Jeremiah expects Bennett to be a day three pick when rounds four through seven occur. A strong performance at the combine could help answer some of the unanswered questions scouts and executives have about Bennett.
“Stetson Bennett is a tricky man,” Jeremiah said on a conference call with reporters on Friday. “Gosh, that guy won two national championships. He has shown the ability to make many different throws. For me he is just mixed like a thrower. He’s got some bad bugs where you’ll see – you’ll see worm burners on low flat routes and swing routes. Like what was that? Later in the same game you will see him pushing the ball in tight windows. It’s just a little streaky, a little inconsistent.”
While leading the Bulldogs to a 15-0 season, Bennett had 27 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns. Bennett was at his best against ranked opponents and was nothing short of great in the college football playoffs. He threw for seven touchdowns, ran for three, and threw just one interception in wins over Ohio State and TCU.
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Bennett is no stranger to having to prove himself, as he has done on numerous occasions in Georgia. First as a walk-on, and then again as he climbed up the depth chart. He went 10-1 in games against Young, Hooker, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, and Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. This is expected to be the top five quarterbacks off the board in a specific order.
Jeremiah is a bit skeptical about Bennett, but an NFL general manager made an interesting comparison between Bennett and Young. One that could help the Georgia quarterback on draft day.
“Really little guy,” Jeremiah said. “But I spoke to a GM, gosh, that must have been over a month ago, and he just said if Bryce Young can be the first pick of his size, then why is Stetson Bennett being the pick for the sixth or seventh round spoken? at his size? I said well he’s a better player. He says no, I understand that, but the gap is six laps wide, you know? Or could you take him in the third, fourth round? I don’t know.”
Bennett will meet with reporters on Friday before conducting drills on Saturday, March 4. Bennett did not attend the Senior Bowl after a last-minute offer. The Georgia quarterback will also likely have to explain his Jan. 29 arrest for public intoxication to teams.
The last Georgia quarterback drafted was Jake Fromm, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Georgia hasn’t picked a quarterback in the first four rounds of the NFL draft since Matthew Stafford picked first overall in the 2009 NFL draft.
“People will have their opinions. My job is to go out and play football,” Bennett said upon accepting the Manning Award in January. “Getting the ball in athletes’ hands and doing it consistently and playing hard and playing to win. People can say anything, I hear it, but I don’t really let it bother me.”