Previously: Last year’s profiles. P Tommy Doman Jr. S Rod Moore. CB Ja’Den McBurrows. LB Jaydon Hood. LB Junior Colson. LB Tyler McLaurin.

Suffield, CT – 6’5", 241
[Aaron Bills]		24/7:           3.88*	3*, 89, #420 overall #49 DL, #2 CT
		Rivals:           4.13*	4*, 5.8, NR overall #12 WDE, #1 CT
		ESPN:           3.97*	4*, 80, #49 East #41 DE, #1 CT
		Composite:           3.93*	4*, .8925, #353 overall #49 DL, #2 CT
		Other Suitors	Notre Dame, PSU, Miami (YTM)
		YMRMFSPA	Craig Roh but Spicy
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post by me.
Notes	Twitter. Pronounced Key’-shawn.
Film
Junior highlights:Workout.

This was the year Rivals started to take the Northeast seriously. Two Massachusetts guys, including Standard Northeast Grow-a-Butt Louis Hansen, made the top-250. Also three guys from Connecticut made four stars, and CT #1 Kechaun ended up closer to the top-250 than where former commit/fellow 4-star Quinton Somerville ended up.

And it’s hard not to blame them considering the DEs Don Brown has consistently pulled out of New England. Kwity Paye was the latest, but Harold Landry, Wyatt Ray, Ray Smith, Zach Allen, and if EJ Holland’s squees are to believed, classmate TJ Guy were guys nobody seemed to care about until the great mustache twitched.

247 isn’t of the same opinion on Bennett specifically, but they’re the site that did an extensive series a few years ago on what the ideal NFL edge prospect looks like coming out of high school and #1 for edge defenders was:

Takeaway No. 1: The weight will come

This has been a running theme throughout almost every position. The guys that hit aren’t typically maxed-out physically. They’re guys that add weight and develop at the next level. The 11 drafted guys averaged 6-foot-4, 223 pounds. Those 11 drafted guys averaged 261 pounds at the NFL Combine. Seven of the 11 gained more the 40 pounds in college. The undrafted four averaged 6-foot-3 3/4 and 242 pounds, nearly 20 pounds more than the drafted group out of high school.

They also like guys who test well, multi-sport athletes, especially wrestlers and above-the-rim basketball players. Their example for the perfect kind of prospect to blow up was David Ojabo.

They list Bennett at 6’4”/220 (Michigan says 6’5”/241, call him “accomplished wrestler” and a bendy athlete. They don’t have the testing numbers, and Bennett didn’t get a senior season, so we’re still in the dark.

Nobody’s takes were quite baked when Bennett committed past old man bedtime right after the whole athletic department went into lockdown, hence all the recruiting people have a “Where were you when” story when you bring up Kechaun. Penn State and Notre Dame decided Don Brown’s departure was their cue to move in on all of Michigan’s Northeast pledges, but Bennett was having none of it. Bennett was still, at least publicly, the least thrilled member of the class that Brown was let go. It’s hard to tell if he’s pleased they’re going to a system where he can be a Uche all the way up to 260 and beyond, because he went quiet again after signing. It’s not hard to tell, given the kinds of guys the new staff immediately began pursuing, that they really appreciate the type.

[After THE JUMP: What do they say about guys with good pad level]

Speed, burst, agility, and length. East scout Brian Dohn says Bennett fits the mold whence NFL rush ends are cast:

has the length wanted for a rush end, and his frame will allow him to easily add 20 pounds without sacrificing speed, burst or agility. His is long and wiry, but that will change as he gets into Michigan’s strength program.

…to the point where Bennett maybe leans on that speed, burst, and agility a bit too much:

Developing technique is a must. He relies heavily on speed and being more athletic and longer than many of the offensive linemen he goes up against.

Rivals’ PSU guy talked to Bennett’s trainer Stack Williams of Supreme Athlete, who sounded like he’s talking about a safety.

You don’t have to teach him toughness or anything like that. That just comes natural to him. But on the field, he’s long and rangy. He’s always in the backfield. He’s great at tracking guys down from the opposite side of the field.

Their Northwestern guy, Louie Vaccher highlighted the bend:

College coaches like defensive ends who can "bend" -- their word to describe the ability to get low and change direction quickly. They look for a pass rusher who can dip his shoulders and turn his hips, all while maintaining balance and keeping his foot on the turf to generate leverage and power. Bennett has that ability in spades, which is why he's ranked as the No. 1 player in Connecticut and No. 225 nationally. "My strength as a player, from what coaches say, is my motor and my ability to bend," said Bennett via text message.

For the record, This is bend:

That’s also a 6’2”/230s guy. Once you’re talking about a guy large enough to take on blocks AND dip under them you’re into true freak occurrences. Touch the Banner sees spicy ground beef, shredded cheese, onions, tortillas, salsa, and sour cream coming together:

Bennett is an underrated prospect, in my opinion. He’s a long and lanky athlete who looks and plays a lot like Taco Charlton. I like his stance and explosive get-off, and he does a decent job of shedding blockers in his pass rush. He can sink his hips and change direction very well for a tall player. I also like the confidence and swagger in his game.

And then put this out there:

Is he the next Josh Uche or the next Taco Charlton? I’ll take either one.

WHICH, Magnus?

EJ Holland saw it in 2019 and thought it wasn’t fair to be taking on the stone hands of the granite state:

He was an absolute monster. Bennett registered a couple of sacks and completely dominated the man in front of him. Now, the competition level wasn't great as I saw Bennett up in New Hampshire, but he showed the tools and athleticism to be a great prospect.

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How Roh can he grow? The question with Bennett is what does he grow into? Rivals has him a WDE. They got a look at their New Jersey camp, after which Brandon Brown saw a long project:

Bennet has a very nice build for a young defensive lineman. He's up 10 pounds from what his profile says and looks to be all of 6-4. He's got long arms and a very athletic build but definitely needs to continue to add weight and strength.

24/7 ranked him as a "DL" as opposed to an "Edge" which usually signifies they see a Lawrence Marshall needs to pump some iron and play inside the TE if his skills are to translate. Dohn sees the makings of a good run-stopper if they can find somewhere to put more muscle:

Against the run, Bennett is patient. He shows the foot speed to avoid cut blocks, and he is true to his assignment. He is able to get off blocks when the ball is run at him, but he has to increase his strength to be able to stack and shed against much stronger and more athletic college players.

Lorenz wasn't sure he was a take when he committed, though at that point it's because nobody had much time to check.

TTB thought the size was an issue in football the last time Bennett played it:

Bennett needs to get stronger; he looks rail-thin, and he does not deal well with run blockers who take him on directly.

He was wrestling at 220 the last time 24/7 got a measurement (ESPN still says 210). He was serious about that wrestling too; Bennett won the Western New England Prep tournament and finished 4th overall. This might help explain how he was up 21 pounds on Michigan’s roster, if he was trying to make weight for wrestling. Dohn agrees:

He's long, which you love. He's a wrestler. You love the flexibility. He'll be able to add to his frame. He played at about 220 last year. He should be able to play at about 240. Again, no football in the fall for him to really showcase where he improved.

He was half-way to 240 last season, or when last season would have happened. He also told Holland in that interview that he was going to start at the Uche spot:

“I’m going to be a hybrid defensive end/linebacker,” Bennett said. “I’m going to be rushing off the edge. Every once in a while, I’ll drop back to coverage. I watched some film of Josh Uche. I used to play some linebacker before defensive end, so it’ll be pretty normal for me.”

But Holland wasn’t counting out a move to anchor depending on how large he gets:

He was on Michigan's defensive end board, but he definitely has position flexibility. 'Viper' has been thrown around, but I don't see that. He could definitely come off the edge or add some weight and be an anchor. He has an intriguing film and skillset.

In the Hello post I ran through Bennett’s suitors to see what they were hoping for:

It might help to understand what the other schools recruiting him hardest wanted him to be. Cal runs a Nebraska-like 3-4 and was looking at Bennett for their weakside (more DE-like) hybrid OLB. Notre Dame, which still runs a Mike Elko 4-2-5 under, was talking about their "Vyper" (formerly called the Drop End, lately 6-5/248 Julian Okwara) position, which is like 85% DE. Syracuse wanted him as a 3-3-5 SAM (think Noah Furbush). And Miami (YTM) was recruiting Bennett to play the same role as rising sophomore Gregory Rousseau, who was 6-6/222 and played last year at 250 as everything from a stand-up OLB to a pass-rushing nose (watch #15). [Georgia Tech had a Don Brown 4-2-5.]

Dohn was thinking SDE in a general 4-3 context:

I think when you look at his burst and his athleticism, those are great starting points. He’ll be able to chase the play down from behind, which is something you'd like to see. And again with him, he's so much better athletically than most of the people he plays against that he really hasn't had to go deep into the technique yet. Once he gets into the technique, he should be able to take off a little bit from there. He’s kind of what you're looking for (in a) strong side guy with length and athleticism and what you like is the ability to grow the frame.

But he’s not sold on that, believing Bennett will play wherever, and the position is just how big can you get away with:

He has the athleticism to be used in a variety of ways, included as a stand-up rush end, playing with his hand on the ground or as an outside linebacker, particularly in a 3-4 package. .. Bennett possesses some nice upside. His frame will fill out and his skill set allows for position versatility. He is a good wrestler, which adds to his flexibility, competitiveness and body control. Once he adds strength and muscle mass, he can be a high-end player for Michigan.

There’s time to find out, because the jump from Connecticut Preps to Big Ten is going to be a big one. Even the scouts see things little things. Dohn:

Bennett can chase a play down on the back side, and he plays in control but there are times he is choppy with his footwork and hesitant in attacking the ball carrier in space.

But Rivals’ Adam Friedman thought the hands were ahead of the curve:

Bennett has a ton of physical skills to work with and college teams are licking their chops to get a hold of him. His speed off the edge and advanced hand techniques are just a few reasons why he’s already been pretty heavily recruited and received a lot of attention.

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Etc. May not survive fall camp.

“I watched a couple of games, and I just feel like sometimes they’re low key afraid to hit,” Bennett said. “I feel like I can bring that aggressiveness to the field and also bring the best out of everybody. They want me to be an edge rusher and also drop back in coverage. I feel like I can help with both

Not disagreeing with you guy, but I’m not the one lining up across from Erick All this week.

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Why Craig Roh but spicy? Because you can’t say Josh Uche unless you expect him to be basically linebacker-sized, while Bennett is already pushing the edge of that. Bennett may be Taco to kids in Connecticut and New Hampshire but he’s not going to be able sidle OTs out of the way like he was doing in high school.

Roh was a consensus top-100 recruit who blew up ESPN’s All-Star game. He was also one of like three high schoolers in history praised for pad level. Roh also was such a technique nerd he literally wrote the book about defensive line technique. Roh was also about Bennett’s size and praised for his bend and athleticism as a recruit. Roh committed to be a 4-3 End but then Michigan transitioned to a 3-3-5 thing and asked him to be a linebacker that he was not. His later career was much more productive as a 4-3 Under WDE, which is the closest thing we’ve had to a Ravens 3-4 WOLB since.

Also most of his twitter is RT’ing trainer videos. And yes: Eyebrows.

But spicy because I’m committed to the bit now and because there’s a good chance of Taco.

Guru Reliability: Low. He was at the same prep as Brad Hawkins, versus the children of standard New Englanders. Also there was no senior season so they’re all basing this on tape from fall 2019, which was a time before anyone had ever heard of Covid-19.

Variance: High-minus. Rivals has him well inside the four-star mark and in range to climb into the top-250 if he had a strong senior year. 24/7 is in the high 3-star range.

Ceiling: Very High. Taco minus an inch or Uche plus 2 inches and 20 pounds, which at that point isn’t really Uche, but that’s a good thing because Uche was sized to be a situational player. If that elite bend can be paired with a 6’4”/260 body that can stuff the run, we’re looking at a person of obvious NFL interest.

General Excitement Level: High-minus. I like the potential here but he’s mostly potential and there isn’t as clear a path to getting there what with a new defense. He would have to be taught the coverage parts of OLB from scratch but they’ve got Aidan Hutchinson doing it.

Projection: Shelve him for a year as he adjusts to the massive jump in play level, then throw him in the blender with all the other edge dudes and see who gets to the quarterback first. Hutchinson is gone after this year and only Ojabo looks anything like a lock to have one of the two OLB/DE spots after that. Michigan has a lot of options but Harrell isn’t the same level of prospect, and McGregor is still a question mark after an awful injury wiped out the last two seasons from his development. Somebody’s going to have to pass rush, and of the guys on the roster Bennett is just after Ojabo in upside in that regard. He’s got to stay ahead of the next class, however, because the new staff seem hell bent on finding as many Bennett-like objects as they can in 2022.