ESPN: Stetson Bennett "Might Go Undrafted"

Despite unprecedented success as a Georgia quarterback, Stetson Bennett's NFL draft continues to fall.

After overcoming every obstacle thrown in his way, quarterback Stetson Bennett ended his career at Georgia as a two-time national champion, a two-time national championship offensive MVP, and a Heisman Trophy finalist, forever cementing his status as a Georgia Football legend. However, despite his unprecedented collegiate success, a rocky pre-draft process that included an arrest for public intoxication and a curious decision to reject an invitation to the Reece’s Senior Bowl, has threatened his NFL future.

QB Stetson Bennett participating in drills at Georgia's Pro-Day in March. Credit Tony Walsh/ UGAA 

In his piece placing the 2023 quarterback prospects into tiers, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler slotted Bennett into the fourth and final tier of quarterbacks in this year’s NFL draft. Fowler’s rankings are a reflection of conversations he has had during the pre-draft process with NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, and, according to Fowler, while coaches and executives are sold on Bennett’s talent, the have expressed concerns about Bennett’s potential fit as a backup quarterback in the NFL.

“Based solely upon on-field play, Bennett might be as high as the sixth-best quarterback in the draft. Evaluators consider him a good processor who has above-average physical tools and is a playmaker without whom Georgia doesn't win back-to-back titles. "Plays big in big games, quick-twitch, aggressive -- sometimes that hurts him but he has confidence, which is what you want," an NFL coordinator said. Bennett's size (5-11, 192 pounds) is bound to be a concern for some teams. And many interviewed have non-football concerns about Bennett, who was arrested for public intoxication on Jan. 29 and did not receive universally high marks on combine interviews. Said an NFC exec: ‘To me, he's clearly better than those other guys [in this tier]. He does some good stuff. But he might go undrafted. His pre-draft has not been good and there are questions about whether he'll be the pro that you need out of a backup QB.’"

Despite leading Georgia to consecutive national championships and setting a Bulldog single-season record for passing yards (4,127), questions linger regarding Stetson Bennett’s draft stock with the NFL draft a mere two weeks away.