Where, when and if former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett will be drafted in 2023 has become a topic of some discussion, and unnecessarily so.
What’s the good word? Well, unless you’re a delusional Georgia Tech fan and you still want to condemn the Georgia Bulldogs to the seventh layer of hell, the good word is “Stetson Bennett won’t make it in the NFL”
Ok, so maybe not a good word, but it’s the word nonetheless. Everyone seems to be an expert on Stetson Bennett’s draft prospects and NFL future, and nobody seems to want to put the respect on his name that he’s rightly earned.
Bennett is not the prototypical NFL quarterback, as apparently, executives from some NFL franchises have told Reese’s Senior Bowl chairman, Jim Nagy. But then again, neither were Pat Haden, Drew Brees, Doug Flutie, Joe Theismann, Warren Moon, or Kurt Warner.
That’s not to say Stetson Bennett is any of those guys, but who’s to say he isn’t? All everyone has ever done is doubt him and tell him “you can’t”, and all he’s ever done in response is to go do it, and then call in the receipts from the naysayers.
So, Dawg fans, why all the hate? Why all the repetition of the “Bennett was great for us but he’ll never make it in the NFL” narrative? If you were gobsmacked by what he did in his last two seasons at Georgia, at least give him the benefit of the doubt.
What Stetson Bennett doesn’t need is 93,000 or more NFL Draft and quarterback experts telling him what he should or shouldn’t be doing. It’s bad enough that the media wants to portray him as a sixth-round project with little hope of ever seeing an NFL field. The Bulldog Nation needs to step back and just appreciate the Mailman for what he is.
Granted, Bennett didn’t do himself any favors recently by first declining an invite to play in the Senior Bowl and then following that up with a public intoxication arrest. He’s got to make better choices if he wants to play at the next level.
If. That’s the key word there.
It’s entirely possible Bennett wants to pursue the future that was mapped out for him years ago before he was an ESPN and Sports Illustrated cover boy. Maybe he wants to spend his days dabbling in finance and investments and spend his nights on the town rather than in the ice tub.
Whether it’s counting the money or learning the playbook, the choice is entirely on Stetson Bennett. At this point, I think it’s best to trust him to know what he can or can’t do.