Prior to the 2022 campaign, many believed Stetson Bennett wouldn’t carve out an NFL career. That he was only a game manager. That narrative has changed.
The former walk-on elevated himself to a game changer, becoming the first quarterback to win back-to-back National Championships in the College Football Playoff era. Now, he’s guaranteed to be drafted. ESPN’s Mel Kiper believes it could be as high as the third round.
“Stetson Bennett to me will probably end up being about a third-round draft choice,” Kiper said, via on3.
His story is that of a Hollywood film, but it’s more than just that. Stetson Bennett showed a different version of himself this past season than we’ve ever seen. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, elusive mobility, or any other elite tangible. However, he has enough to get the job done, and his intangibles are off the charts, which remains an overlooked factor in successful quarterbacks.
“Interesting guy,” Kiper said, via on3. “Nobody can really give you any answer on Stetson Bennett other than ‘Bryce Young is going to go in the Top 5, where’s Stetson Bennett going to fall?’ This guy wins games, he’s a gutty competitor. He had guys leaving that program after last year, this year no fall back. He didn’t have all the pieces they had back in 2021 this season. Yet he still leads his team to a national title.”
The truth is Bennett improved his anticipation, accuracy, and playmaking ability in 2022. There will be a team willing to let him sit on the bench in hopes he can develop into a franchise quarterback, and nobody should doubt him. Stetson Bennett walked on at Georgia, went to a Juco, and returned following the first National Championship against many fans’ wishes. The word adversity means nothing to him. Count him out if you want, but he could very easily succeed at the next level in the right situation.
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