Quarterback Stetson Bennett turned some heads Sunday at the NFL combine. The Georgia Bulldogs two-time national champ Bennett showed some serious arm strength tying Kentucky’s Will Levis for the strongest throw at 59 miles per hour.
And Stetson Bennett threw 59 MPH https://t.co/8EtMFdTWm5
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) March 4, 2023
The bottom line is that Bennett did much to improve his draft stock:
Stetson Bennett > Will Levis. Fight me. #GoDawgs #NFLCombine2023 pic.twitter.com/Gbpwl7W1V4
— Aaron Leicht (@aaronleicht) March 4, 2023
The numbers don’t lie
Bennett just concluded a two-season stretch that was among the best ever in the storied history of Georgia football. He led the Dawgs to back-to-back National Titles while becoming the first Bulldog player to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a single season. In Georgia’s crushing 65-7 wipe out of TCU in the College Football Playoff title game, Bennett went 18-of-25 passes for 304 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in the game. He also rushed three times for 39 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the offensive game MVP in all four CFP games he played in.
Off the field issues
The Texas native finished his Bulldog career with 8,428 career passing yards, the fourth best total in school history. He is fifth in program history in career touchdown passes (66). But there’s that public intoxication arrest on January 26 in his hometown of Dallas. According to an incident report released by police this week, Bennett “hid behind a wall” in a possible attempt to evade police. He’s admitted to the mistake and answered numerous questions about it when facing NFL executives at the Combine.
Attitude Adjustment
It has been a less than smooth post-championship run for Bennett. In addition to his arrest he was criticized heavily for talking on his cellphone during the Bulldogs victory parade. He ignored an Atlanta television station reporter who was attempting to interview him during the parade.
Bennett has also received criticism for failing to play in the Senior Bowl where he could have improved his draft stock. That’s something that Jalen Hurts did in 2020 and led to a second-round selection by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The jury is out on Bennett’s NFL future
Unlike the “Big Four” quarterbacks of Young, Stroud, Richardson and Levis, the verdict isn’t in on Bennett. He won the first of his back-to-back national championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is home to the NFL combine. Maybe a return to the venue for the scouting combine will help his future professional chances.
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