The Legend of Big Ben Could Fit in Philly

Georgia strongman Ben Cleveland is a potential Day 2 selection in the NFL Draft

PHILADELPHIA - To say there was a little hype surrounding Ben Cleveland at Georgia's Pro Day earlier this week is a bit of an understatement.

In the public's eyes, the 6-foot-6, 343-pound Cleveland was in the mix to break the NFL combine's bench press record - 49 repetitions of 225 pounds.

Cleveland didn't have his best day in the weight room, however, and "only" put up 225 30 times, a far cry from the record. The big interior offensive lineman was hardly disappointed, though, admitting he went a little WWE to build up interest.

"There was a video posted about Javon Williams saying they stopped me at 50, and that was never the case," Cleveland admitted after the session. "That never even happened. It was never close to that. But I mean, kind of had to go with it and at least hype it up."

Cleveland was a bit disappointed, admitting he never found a groove.

"I felt good on my performance," he said. "I kind of got a little off rhythm going into it, so it hurt me a little bit, but nothing to hold my head or shake my head about. That was kind of where I was expected to get, but I couldn't just sit there and downplay that. I was a little disappointed in myself, but I still put up pretty good numbers.

"Nothing we can do to change that now except keep working in the weight room and getting stronger."

The goal for Cleveland is not to be the next strongman headlining Wrestlemania, however. At least not yet, and he did generate the more important attention of NFL scouts, who watched him run a 4.97 at a shirtless 340-plus pounds.

Not sure what’s more impressive, this man @BenCleveland74 running 4.97 at 343 lbs or CB Tyson Campbell running in the 4.2’s. pic.twitter.com/lE5Ji4VBHL

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 17, 2021

“Big Ben! They’re getting the man, the myth, the legend himself," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart gushed when asked what an NFL team would be getting in the Peach State native.

"Ben Cleveland is, first of all, a great person. ... I’ve known Ben since the ninth grade. The legend of Big Ben has been up in Toccoa, Georgia. He has a tremendous family. He’s played a lot of football here. He’s practiced a lot of football here.

"He’s been around here a long time, and anybody who picks Ben - it’s just hard to find size, and there’s just a certain criteria for size - and he meets all that criteria. It’s hard to move, get around, and it’s a passing league, so when he pass protects, he’s a hard man to get past and does a great job of that. I’m excited to see what he does.”

Cleveland arrived at Georgia from Stephens County High School with a ton of fanfare as a local recruit. There weren't many All-American or Outland Trophy predictions, however,  but he leaves Athens as one of the more popular and productive players in recent Bulldogs' history.

Perhaps more importantly, he ultimately developed into one of the more consistent and reliable SEC O-Linemen against the toughest competition available at the college level.

The Eagles aren't necessarily in need of an interior lineman with starting guards Isaac Seumalo and Brandon Brooks both restructuring their contracts and penciled in for 2021.

Third-year-pro Nate Herbig also developed into a solid player last season while Brooks was out with a torn Achilles'. That said, the Eagles believe in building up front and the injury history of Brooks coupled with his price tag means you have to start thinking about the heir apparent.

Brooks is also known for his prodigious strength so why not start the transition with Cleveland as a potential third-round option?

The big man's personality would also fit in nicely by the Eagles' faithful.

Asked why he ran shirtless at the Pro Day Cleveland said: "I don't know why I took my shirt off. Just, why not?"

Maybe to show off the leaner physique thanks to a squirrel diet?

"The squirrel diet definitely probably helped cut a little bit of weight this offseason, so yeah, we put a really good time on that, so I've got no complaints," Cleveland joked.

The legend of Big Ben is about to arrive in the NFL.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Thursday on The Middle with Eytan Shander, Harry Mayes, former Eagles OT Barrett Brooks streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and SportsMap Radio. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.