Earl Bennett Scouting Report

Bennett did about all he could in his three years at Vanderbilt. He shined immediately as a freshman, with a big assist from then-Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler. But he showed the next two seasons that his success wasn't dependent on having a first-rounder throwing him passes. Bennett had 82 receptions for 1,146 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore, then posted 75 receptions for 830 yards and five TDs this past season. He is the first receiver in the Southeastern Conference to have three straight seasons with at least 75 receptions. He is the SEC all-time career receptions leader. He was voted first-team All-SEC by the coaches all three years. Bennett has a nice frame. It compliments him having virtually no fundamental weakness. He runs sharp routes, understands coverages and is not only willing to run block, but does it well. He's a quarterback's best friend, because if the ball is anywhere near him, he'll make the catch. You can't put up his reception totals and have drops. Bennett has thrived on being able to find weaknesses in coverages. If Bennett ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, he'd probably be the top receiver on the board. The problem is, he runs a 4.52 and scouts have taken notice of that. NFL scouts love pure burners and Bennett will never be that kind of receiver. The other concern about Bennett is that he's operated for the most part out of the slot -- which is virtually unheard of for a No. 1 receiver. That may have been to compensate for his lack of speed. While Bennett may never be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, there is no reason to believe he won't at least be a solid possession receiver for several years. But that will likely drop his draft stock to the middle rounds.