Wide Receiver
Illinois
6-1 219
40 time: 4.48
Draft board overall prospect rank: #72
Draft board overall wide receiver rank: #8
Overall rating: 74*
1/17/10: If he gets drafted high it will be on what he can do not on what he has done. He dropped way too many passes this season, looked timid going over the middle of the field and in the end zone, but he has an amazing physical build and coaching staff may look to bring a future #1 option out of him. Scouts could also blame his awful statistical season this year on the fact that Juice Williams was his quarterback. Williams is probably the worst quarterback to ever play the game. I’m barely exaggerating.
Update (11/2/09): Awful production this year, former top receiver could slip to the 3rd round. He looks slow and overmatched out there.
6/20/09: Arrelious Benn is rated as the best overall receiving prospect in this draft class, and I definitely think he’s up there, though I’m not sure he is truly the best. However, this is a very weak draft class in terms of wide receivers. Its not going to be like 2008 when no wide receivers went in the first round, as I see 2 definitely going as first rounders, Benn being one of them, and 2 more than could possibly go in the 1st round. However, in 2008, 10 went in the 2nd round. This year, I can’t see more than 7 max going on day 1, unless some prospect shoots up the board, or teams completely start reaching for receivers out of need. The fact that Benn is the top receiver or near the top receiver doesn’t mean as much as would it in an average year. That being said, Benn is a fine prospect. He’s certainly a solid pickup in the mid 1st round area, though he’s likely not going to slip out of the top 10 out of need. He has amazing hands and never drops passes. He’s big and strong and can run over smaller corners. He’s going to win a lot of jumpballs and runs excellent routes for a college kid. However, he doesn’t have breakaway speed, which is okay for someone of his size. However, what concerns me is his low touchdown total, as he only has 5 in 2 seasons, and you can only blame so much on the fact that he hasn’t played with a great quarterback. He has the size to be a red zone threat, but he hasn’t been one so far. That’s a bit of a red flag because of his lack of speed. You like guys to either be able to breakaway for touchdowns, or become big red zone threats, and so far Benn has done neither. He’s an excellent possession receiver and he’ll make all the catches and run good routes and get you first downs, but the touchdown numbers have to be a concern and you have to wonder if his athleticism is good enough for him to bring down balls in the end zone on a regular basis, or if he is just a smart route runner with good hands. Also, statistically, guys who get into the end zone more frequently in college, for whatever reason, have proven to have better pro careers. Of course, this could all change if he gets 10+ scores this year, and if that were to happen, he’d shoot up my board and likely cement himself as a top 5 pick. Getting an guy with the athleticism to be an end zone threat who also has the ability to run crisp routes and catch a lot of balls as a chain game possession receiver, in a weak receiver class, is going to be very enticing to a team in the top 5. But for now, the lack of TDs, coupled with his mediocre speed, for an NFL hopeful, is a huge red flag.
NFL Comparison: Mohamed Massaquoi
*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here
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