Los Angeles Rams select Stetson Bennett in 4th round of 2023 NFL Draft

Stetson Bennett’s journey from walk-on to Heisman Trophy finalist at Georgia has been well-documented. It just got a new chapter.

The Los Angeles Rams selected Bennett with the No. 128 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. After leading Georgia to back-to-back national championships and making it to New York this past year as a Heisman finalist, Bennett will now have the ability to take his skills to the next level.

Over his last two seasons in Athens, Bennett threw for 6,990 yards and 56 touchdowns as he helped the Bulldogs get back to the mountaintop. This past year, he set a new career high with 4,128 passing yards to go with 27 touchdowns in the air in addition to his 205 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground as part of the run game.

After the season, though, Bennett made headlines when he was arrested for public intoxication in January. He later addressed it at the NFL scouting combine, acknowledging it was “a mistake that everybody is aware of.” At the combine, Bennett ran a 4.67 40-yard dash.

Bennett played high school football at Pierce County (Ga.) High School, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 185 overall recruit in the 2017 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Stetson Bennett

As a proven dual-threat, Bennett has shown he has the skills to make an impact. But his size and age are both concerns, according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. At 5-foot-11 and nearly 26 years old, Zierlein argued that could’ve been cause for concern in the lead-up to the draft.

“Bennett will turn 26 years old during his rookie season and he’s small in stature relative to today’s game,” Zierlein wrote. “Those two things will work against him, but his history of elevating his play in spotlight games against the best competition should be a factor for some teams. He doesn’t have a plus arm and his accuracy and placement can vary from drive to drive, but he throws with anticipation and has shown an ability to get through progressions as a pro-style passer.

“He’s rarely sacked and has the mobility to do damage outside of the pocket. Bennett has backup potential for a timing-based passing attack that includes concepts often seen in the Shanahan offense.”