7. Eno Benjamin, Arizona State
Height: 5’9″ Weight: 207
40-Yard Dash: 4.57 seconds
Bench Press: 12 reps
Vertical Jump: 39.0
Broad Jump: 122.0
3-Cone Drill: 6.97
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.25
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Benjamin burst onto the national scene as a sophomore in 2018, toting the rock 300 times (a school record) for 1,642 yards and 16 touchdowns, with 35 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns to boot. His 2019 wasn’t quite as productive as he fell to 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns on 253 carries, but he did increase his reception total last year to 42 for 347 yards and two touchdowns.
Still, as he said at the scouting combine, Benjamin was able to build other parts of his repertoire over the last season under head coach Herman Edwards.
“I think I really, truly developed a leadership skill. I mean, it was not more so about me. It was about what can I do to help the team win. So it was getting five carries, 11 carries, 20 yards, 50 yards–little things such as if I’m going to run this run, I’m going to run it as fast as I can, knowing I’m not going to get the ball so I can open up someone else. And just little things like that helped me play and really make it more about the team than myself.”
Stat to Know: A home-run hitter, Benjamin forced 84 broken tackles in 2018, behind only David Montgomery (now of the Bears) and Devin Singletary (now of the Bills) among NCAA backs. That figure dropped to 62 in 2019.
Strengths: Electric cut runner to get to the open field; Benjamin can turn on half a dime anywhere on the field. Has outstanding vision to exploit blocks and get free. Excellent receiver who should have been split out more than he was. Can cut to outside the tackles in a flash, and has the ability to outmatch a flood of defenders to one side by reversing course in a hurry. Maximizes the power he does have with a dog mentality after contact and as a blocker.
Weaknesses: Built more like a receiver than a running back. Power is not his game; Benjamin’s NFL team had better have a plan for him beyond “insert generic speed running back here.” Like any home run hitter who thinks that way, Benjamin alternates between big plays and big misses. Will take runs off schedule when he shouldn’t.
Conclusion: Benjamin’s 4.57 40-yard dash at the scouting combine was one of the more mis-representative testing numbers in recent memory. He’s an absolute flash on the field; his NFL coaches will just need to understand what he is and what he isn’t.
NFL Comparison: Reggie Bush. Benjamin is a bit shorter than Bush, but their playing styles are similar in that Bush at the NFL level was sneaky enough as a runner and motion receiver to turn any matchup with a third or fourth linebacker into a mismatch. Also like Bush, Benjamin is not going to be any more than a complementary piece at the next level, but a creative offensive coordinator will turn him into an explosive “joker” all over the field.
Moss | Swift | Taylor | Edwards-Helaire | Dobbins | Akers |
Benjamin | Dillon | Evans | Perine | Gibson