FanPost

Draft Sage: Scouting Report for Kelvin Benjamin

Hey everybody, I'm just doing some of these scouting reports for the fun of it. I'll be going through some of the positions that the Bills have needs at, and doing scouting reports of players at those positions. I know all opinions will not mesh about some players, but that's why they call them opinions. All height, weight, and drill results will be from NFL.com.

WR Scouting Reports


Mike Evans

Jordan Matthews

Brandon Coleman

Martavis Bryant

Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida St., Ht: 6'5" Wt: 240lbs

Speed: Kelvin Benjamin is a build-up-runner, meaning he takes a while to get to his top speed. When he gets to his top speed he's pretty fast. He can struggle on quick twitch routes that require him to burst of the line due to his build-up-speed. He has average ability after the catch, though his size helps him power through some contact to pick up some extra yards. He's a down hill runner that doesn't get very creative with the ball. He doesn't get very good separation on speed routes down the field, so he'll have to work on his ability across the middle of the field. Overall, Benjamin isn't exactly an explosive player. He'll have to rely on his ability to break tackles to create big plays in the NFL instead of using his speed. He might consider a move over to TE, where he wouldn't have to worry about his lack of speed.

Speed Rating: 6/10

Catching: Kelvin's catching can be suspect at times by dropping easy passes that should've been caught. He can get into phases were he'll catch with his body, which leads to another problem that he has, double catching. When he starts catching with his body he will start double catching as well, letting the ball bounce off his body and into his arms. He catches well with his hands when he uses them, which is about 70% percent of the time. He also knows how to climb the ladder when going up for catches, making several contested catches over corners heads. He will take a hit to make a catch. Most importantly, he uses his size to his advantage when going to make a catch, getting physical with CBs and making sure that he is in the best position to make a play on the ball. Overall, Benjamin has decent hands, and is a specialist at the jump ball. He will need work on the drops, though.

Catch Rating: 6/10

Route Running: Benjamin's route running isn't that developed. He gets decent separation on routes working the middle of the field. He is the exact opposite on routes that are deeper. He never seems to get good separation on routes longer than 15 yards, which can be attributed to his lack of speed and letting the CBs catch up, but he will need to work on his ability down the field if he ever wants to make it past a #3 receiver. He can be physical, but sometimes he reverts to this finesse style and he tries dance around the corners instead of just sticking them at the line to create separation. Benjamin handles press coverage all right, using his hands to keep corners at arms reach. If somebody does get a good jam on him at the line he'll struggle to recover. Overall, Kelvin Benjamin has adequate route running ability to start right away. He'll struggle to get separation on deeper routes and should be used primarily in the middle of the field. He lacks explosion out of his routes, and will struggle on speed routes.

RR Rating: 6.5/10

Blocking: Benjamin has size and uses it well when blocking. He's knocked several corners on their butts when they weren't expecting it. He'll whiff on a few blocks here and there, but that's nothing to worry about. He gets his hands on people and doesn't let up. He's not horrible at setting the edge, but he probably shouldn't be ran at all the time. He blocks well on WRs screens. He set up a few big plays at FSU. He knows who to pick when the play is coming his way. Overall, Benjamin is a BIG man, and he uses that size to his advantage. The team that drafts him won't have to worry about Benjamin letting his guy go free around the edge.

Special Teams: Kelvin doesn't have the speed to be a return man or a gunner, so he'll most likely be relegated to a blocker on kick-off returns (if the they're still around in a few years)

Special Teams Rating: UA

Pro Comparison: Plaxico Burress

Benjamin compares quite well to Burress, so much so that he decided to blow of a coach who came to his work out, just like Burress. All kidding aside, there are other reasons as well. They both have/had a similar playing style, big, physical, and makes tough catches. They both lacked/lack speed coming out of college, and they have the same body frame. Benjamin is much more raw than Plaxico was coming out of college, but if he develops, I see him turning into Burress type receiver.

Offensive Fit: Pro Style

Much like Brandon Coleman, Kelvin Benjamin will need to go somewhere where the offense masks his deficiency at speed. He would benefit from sitting for a while to his refine route running a little. His role would probably be a red zone threat for a year, then, when he develops, he would probably be put at the #2 spot until he proves that he's ready to take on the responsibility of a #1 receiver.

How he would fit on the Bills:

He would be battling Mike Williams for starting time at the #3 position. He would probably be used a lot like a TE in the Bills offense, going up the seam and trying to get mismatches with LBs. He should be held back as a red zone threat at first, then, when his route running develops, have Woods/Stevie and him battle it out for the #2 spot.

Where he will be drafted: 1st-2nd

I could see Benjamin going as high as 10 to Detroit, or I could see him dropping to the middle of the second round and us getting a steal. Either way, which ever team takes him will have to be careful with his development.

Overview: Kelvin Benjamin is big receiver with big potential. He has a knack for making big catches, but also for dropping the easy ones. He will need to work on his route running on deeper routes. There are worries about his work ethic, and personal life, so teams will have to be extra thorough when looking at those things. His most pressing concern will be developing properly.


Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.