One Quick thing about Stetson Bennett in the 2023 NFL Draft

Asking about Stetson Bennett and his chances of being chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft? Glad you did. Sit down and join in a hard look at the Georgia legend.

Stetson Bennett won back-to-back national championships at Georgia. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He won countless awards and MVP trophies. All after being dismissed by everyone as a walk-on and scout team player.

What a story, right? Surely this ends up with NFL success as the next chapter, right?

Well…maybe? Maybe not? Could be but probably not? It’s hard to say but yeah it could happen?

The truth of the matter is, no one really knows for sure what the NFL ceiling is for Stetson Bennett. The guy has none of the physical traits teams look for in an NFL quarterback (or college quarterback for that matter) yet all he’s done is double-finger the entire doubting universe and show that maybe…just maybe…he is that guy.

So let’s be honest here, fandoms and stan accounts aside, Stetson Bennett isn’t a first-round pick. He’s not a second-round pick, and probably not a third-round pick. Well, is he worthy of being picked at all?

That answer has more waffling than a strip of Georgia interstate exits.

There’s a logical side to the argument against picking Bennett. Blogging Dirty writer and draft expert Scott Carasik said to me, “I still think Bennett uses his strengths and goes into coaching. He’s the smartest player on the field every time he’s out there. Just not physically gifted.”

Fair enough. There are holes in everyone’s game coming out of college, and certainly, Bennett showed on more than one occasion that being slight of build and not having a howitzer attached to his right shoulder limited his ability to do certain things.

Just like Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield, his quick feet and escapability will only take him so far on an NFL playing field, where even most linebackers will run a similar or faster 40-yard dash to Bennett.

The limits are there.

Aside from physical limits, teams also have concerns about off-field issues, using words like “lack of maturity” or “character flaws” when discussing Bennett. While you should take anything an NFL team says publicly about a potential draft target with a grain of salt, these same ideas are echoed by more than one team.

Given some of Bennett’s behavior after the last two seasons, these are valid concerns.

Why NFL teams might actually be considering Stetson Bennett

But then, there’s another side that, to be truthful, probably has more than one team wondering about Stetson Bennett, and possibly moving him on and off their draft board. Sometimes you look at a player and think, “This guy could be motivated and angry enough to do whatever he wants, regardless of the odds, and has enough talent and smarts to do it.”

And that’s basically the Stetson Bennett we’ve all seen grow for the last few years.

Bennett also has an uncanny knack for selling himself to his teammates. To a man, there’s probably not a single player on the Georgia roster from the last three seasons who wouldn’t proclaim respect for Bennett and his leadership abilities. That’s something you simply can’t teach.

With all that said, the chances that Bennett is drafted at all are pretty slim. The chances that he’s signed as an undrafted free agent are slightly better, though still not a sure thing.

But, if Stetson Bennett is given the opportunity to compete for a spot on an NFL roster, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t strap on his plate mail, brandish his two-handed sword, and vanquish everything and everyone standing in his way.

Because that’s just how Stetson Bennett just does things.

“Hi, my name is Stetson Bennett. I may not look intimidating, but I’m here to take your job.”