Post-combine quarterback rankings: Where is Stetson Bennett?
Former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett impressed at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.
Despite his nice day, Draft Wire still has Bennett ranked as the No. 11 quarterback prospect in the 2023 NFL draft.
I’m not arguing Bennett is a top-three quarterback prospect, but these guys were ranked ahead of him:
No. 8: Tanner McKee (Stanford)
No. 9: Jake Haener (Fresno State)
No. 10: Aidan O’Connell (Purdue)
Do we really think these are better prospects than the back-to-back natty-winning Bennett? I don’t.
After winning two national championships and putting up great numbers at UGA, he needed a nice day at the combine after not playing in the Senior Bowl. That’s exactly what the 5-foot-11, 192-pound quarterback did. Bennett threw some excellent deep balls during passing drills, posted a strong 33.5-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-10 broad jump and a 4.67 40-yard dash.
According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Bennett’s performance was good enough to send him shooting up the draft boards:
“I thought Bennett had an outstanding workout Saturday, both in the passing drills and in the athletic testing,” Kiper wrote. “Since he didn’t play in an all-star game after his season ended, this was the first time NFL teams have gotten to see him up close. He threw the ball very well. He ran a better-than-expected 4.67 40-yard dash.”
Bennett’s ability to run the ball is nothing new. It’s the factor Kirby Smart always pointed to when asked what separated Bennett from the other guys on the roster.
Bennett began his career as a walk-on at Georgia in 2017, when he redshirted his freshman season. Prior to the 2018 season, he transferred to Jones Community College. He returned in 2019 and never looked back, winning two national titles and cementing himself as the greatest of all-time in Georgia history.
“Bennett’s college production isn’t in question; he completed 68.3% of his passes with 27 touchdowns and seven picks in 2022. The question is more about his frame, as he measured just under 5-foot-11 — a little taller than Bryce Young — and his arm strength,” Kiper wrote.
In 2020, Bennett started five games but was nowhere close to being the Bulldogs’ trusted guy at quarterback. Come 2021, Bennett gained the starting job early in the season after an injury to J.T. Daniels. He guided the team to a national championship win over Alabama in the 2021 season to bring home Georgia’s first trophy since 1980.
Bennett opted to return to UGA in 2022, and he led the Bulldogs to a 15-0 record, which included both an SEC championship and a second consecutive national championship win. He finished fourth in Heisman voting. In 2022, Bennett threw for 4,127 yards, 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He rushed for an additional 10 touchdowns.
Bennett’s career stats read 601 of 923, 65.1%, 8,428 yards, 66 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, 530 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
