Georgia Star QB Stetson Bennett Might Go Undrafted, NFL Exec Says

The undersized two-time national championship has been in headlines for the wrong reasons during the run-up to the draft.

Few college quarterbacks have accomplished as much as Stetson Bennett IV. He guided Georgia to back-to-back national championships, throwing for a combined 528 yards with eight total touchdowns and no interceptions in the two title games, winning offensive MVP honors both years. Despite his impressive résumé, there’s a real chance that Bennett won’t hear his name called during this month’s NFL draft—and one league executive claims to know why.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the executive pointed both to Bennett’s diminutive size and off-field issues as the reasons why he could go undrafted. Fowler reports that Bennett’s talent and on-field accomplishments could place him as high as a sixth-round pick, though his physical limitations and arrest on Jan. 29 for public intoxication have given teams pause.

“To me, he’s clearly better than those other guys [in this tier],” the executive told Fowler. “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.”

Watch the NFL with fuboTV. Start your free trial today.

Bennett was arrested in Dallas after police responded to calls of a man banging on doors of homes in the middle of the night. He publicly addressed the incident for the first time in March, saying he’d discussed the matter with NFL coaches and general managers.

“It was a mistake that, you know, everyone is aware of,” Bennett said. “I understand, you know, why that can’t happen. I’ve talked to coaches about it. I’ve talked to GMs and I apologized to my family, because that’s who I felt worst about. I felt like I let them down because no matter where I go now, and even without all this, I’ve got an obligation. I’m the fourth. Can’t do that if your last name is Bennett. I know better.”