Kirby Smart Goes to Bat for Stetson Bennett, Says Why NFL Teams Should Draft the QB
Not only is Georgia coming off of one of the more impressive seasons pieced together by a college football program to date, but quarterback Stetson Bennett made sure to leave Athens with a statement. The Georgia quarterback broke multiple records during the 2022 season including becoming the program's first-ever 4,000-yard passer in a season.
Now with the NFL draft here, Bennett is set to find out where he will fall in the draft order. Despite winning two national titles and being named a Heisman finalist in 2022, Bennett is not expected to go early in the draft. Whether it's been his lack of size or the issues that have risen to the surface during the pre-draft process, not too many NFL organizations appear to be very high on the Georgia legend.
Head coach Kirby Smart has always been one of Bennett's biggest advocates. He stuck with his decision to keep Bennett as the team's starting quarterback in 2021 despite many questioning the decision and continued to defend his quarterback all the way until the final whistle of the 2022 national championship game. While Bennett is no longer a player at the University of Georgia, his former head coach went to bat for him one last time prior to the NFL draft getting kicked off.
Former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) during Georgia’s 2023 Pro Day inside the William Porter Payne and Porter Otis Payne Indoor Athletic Facility in Athens, Ga., on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)
Smart spoke with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith to discuss why NFL teams should take a chance on Bennett and why he should be viewed as a valuable prospect. Here is what he had to say:
"A talented, really athletic quarterback who has played in an NFL-style system. He can handle the language, the verbiage, the reads, he anticipates throws, and in today's NFL, you better have a guy that can move around, and he's proven he can do that at the highest level of college football. I am excited to see where he goes, I have been blown away with the number of teams that have called asking about [Bennett], so I am excited to see the next couple of days for him."
Defying the odds has been a common theme for Bennett's football career, and it looks like he is going to have to do that again to earn his chance at the professional level. Regardless of when Bennett hears his name called this weekend, he showed during his time at Georgia that he has the mentality to do whatever it takes to earn himself a legitimate shot to solidify a roster spot on an NFL squad.
Other Georgia News:
- NCAA Adopts New Recruiting Rules for Visits
- Amarius Mims' "Time Has Come", Talks Through Growth at UGA
- How Georgia Could Make SEC History During the 2023 Season
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