Not all NFL players take a straight line to the pros. There is, of course, the most commonly known path of being highly recruited out of high school, getting a scholarship, and progressing throughout their college career to being drafted into the NFL.
Knowing that is the path so many take and how much of a long shot it can be to making it to the NFL, it can be discouraging if, say, for instance, you were three years into high school and aren’t even a starter yet.
That was the case with Jakorian Bennett, and it very nearly caused him to quit football prior to his senior season of high school.
Early Saturday the Raiders traded up in the fourth round to get him. A fulfillment of a long journey for Bennett. One he never would have realized had he walked away from football in high school.
Bennett was one of those late bloomers, so no matter how talented he was, it kept him from being a starter. And as his high school years were coming to a close, he was thinking about his future and that football wasn’t in the cards.
He was so discouraged, he was going to walk away from football without even any other plans for his future. I asked him what he would have done instead had he quit football. He didn’t even know, saying “Your guess is as good as mine.”
It was his high school football coach who convinced him to stick it out.
“Coach TJ. Just kind of me only starting one year in high school, like those other years I wasn’t playing and wasn’t getting in the game, I was about to call it quits,” Bennett said following his selection by the Raiders at pick 104. “And so, he was just always there telling me not to quit, to stick it out. Just continue to grind, keep my head down to work. And still to this day, he’s always there for me and always there with me. I definitely appreciate him so much though.”
Thankfully, Jakorian listened. But starting his path so late would still mean for a difficult road.
Bennett was not recruited after his single season as a starter. So, again, he could have walked away. But he didn’t. He went the JuCo route, enrolling at Hutchinson Community College.
After two seasons, he played himself into a three-star recruit fielding several Division I offers. He chose Maryland and after one season, he became the full time starter, being named Honorable Mention BigTen in both seasons.
And ultimately, running a position combine best 4.30 40-yard-dash and saw the Raiders move up to the top of the fourth round to get him.
That’s a long way from almost quitting football and having no interest out of high school. I asked him about that journey.
“Man, a lot of perseverance, honestly,” said Bennett.
“It’s been like a lot of ups and downs through this journey, but it’s what made me the person I am today and that’s why I kind of go into each day with that all-in mentality. Just making sure that you check every box, making sure I’m just doing everything in my power to be the best version of myself. So, I’m definitely glad for that journey and all the things I had to go through because I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you if that didn’t happen. So, I definitely appreciate everything that I’ve been through to get me here.”
That attitude is what Dave Ziegler has talked about several times as the most important quality in the players they have coveted.
Certainly the 4.3 speed doesn’t hurt either.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby7y715wxzbczy player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]