New Ohio State commit Bennett Christian scouting report

With the news dropping that tight end Bennett Christian committed to Ohio State today, here’s a look at what he brings to the Buckeyes.

With the news dropping that tight end Bennett Christian committed to Ohio State Tuesday, it’s time to take a look at what Bennett brings to the Buckeyes and what he’ll need to work on. As the thirteenth rated tight end from Rivals, Bennett a three-star recruit brings some size, grit, power, and receiving to the tight end position. Listed at 6-foot, 6′-inches, 235-pounds with a frame to add a little more, Christian could be a name we hear in the coming years.

For the positives of Bennett’s game, the first thing that jumps out on his film is his size. When lined up against defensive ends he looks like an offensive lineman. It helps that he plays defensive end as well for his Altoona High School team. He gets his hands inside the defensive lineman and uses his power to drive his opponent back.

Bennett’s size is evident in the receiving game as he gives a wide catch radius and target for the quarterback. He does well to absorb hits and is really tough to bring down. He has a good knack for attacking the ball at the high point and has soft hands without relying on body catches too often on tape.

Despite the positives, Bennett still needs some work to complete his game.  He sometimes holds a block a little long and needs to shed them better if asked to get into the second level after the first block. Also, he is a little slow coming out of his stance and will need a little refinement on his footwork.

In the receiving game, Bennett doesn’t really have great separation speed, relying mostly on his size to get free. He comes off the line a little slow and tends to round his routes off a little.

Bennett is a really good prospect, that with some refinements can be a dual tight end that will cause match-up issues due to his size and hands. If he can develop some of his small technique issues, he could be a huge steal for this recruiting cycle.

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.