Arizona Cardinals select Trey Benson in 3rd round of 2024 NFL Draft

Florida State running back Trey Benson has been selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, taken with the No. 66 overall pick.

Benson was a star for the last two years with the Seminoles after transferring in from Oregon following the 2021 season. He posted two 900-yard campaigns at Florida State, tallying 23 total touchdowns in the process.

The talented 6-foot-1, 223-pound bruiser racked up 905 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing during his junior season in 2023. He also caught 20 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, showing some versatility out of the backfield.

Now headed to the next level, Benson will have the added bonus of playing against high-caliber competition in the ACC.

Florida State went unbeaten during the regular season during Benson’s final year in school, and Benson was a key part of that offensively.

Prior to enrolling at Oregon, Trey Benson was a four-star prospect and the No. 368 overall recruit in the country in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

He also checked in as the No. 35 running back in the class and the No. 7 overall player in the state of Mississippi, hailing from Greenville (MS) St. Joseph.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Trey Benson

One thing that NFL scouts will like about Benson is that he doesn’t have a ton of wear and tear on him. He logged just 316 carries while in college.

Benson is a bruiser and is capable of using his size to batter opposing defenses. How often he chooses to do that remains to be seen.

That’s one of the bigger questions the NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein has in evaluating Trey Benson:

“Big back who might need to table his desires to be an elusive runner and adopt a more physical, decisive approach as a pro. Benson had just two seasons of collegiate wear and tear, but he only hit the 20-carry mark in one game. He runs with good knee-bend, agility and contact balance but takes too long to process the front and hit holes between the tackles.

“He has creative athleticism but lacks creative vision, so he would be wise to keep more runs on track and finish with consistent authority rather than searching for greener grass. Benson has some talent as a pass catcher and enough protection ability to warrant a role as a complementary three-down option.”