Malik Benson is fast, yes, but FSU is betting on Benson being more than just a speedster
Brendan Sonnone
Florida State entered the 2024 offseason with a pretty clear objective in mind on offense: Add speed, and lots of it. The Seminoles felt that they lacked vertical threats in last year's offense, and so they went out and stocked up on speed.
RB Jaylin Lucas and WR Jalen Brown were added earlier in the winter, with both bringing 10.6 speed in the 100-meter dash to the table.
And FSU then capped it off with Alabama transfer Malik Benson, who had a 10.4 100-meter dash to his name and some intriguing (albeit limited) film from his one year in the SEC. Benson undoubtedly brings speed to the equation and figures to, at a minimum, be the field stretcher that FSU missed last year. But can he be more than that?
Class: Sr.
Ht/Wt: 6-1/190
2023 Stats: 13 receptions for 162 yards and 1 TD (at Alabama)...55.1 PFF Grade on 351 snaps
Last Year's Rank: NR
Highest on: Clay (No. 3)
Lowest on: Trey (No. 11)
Benson, as mentioned above, is going to provide vertical juice and put pressure on opposing safeties. This marries well with the vertical acumen of QB DJ Uiagalelei, who was among the more active down-field passers last season at Oregon State.
But Benson has some other dimensions to his game that FSU hopes to unlock.
The belief at FSU – and it's probably worth further exploration by the Noles247 staff – is that Benson's numbers and usage at Alabama were skewed by accuracy/timing issues. Watching some cut-ups of his targets last year, there's evidence to support this theory given that Benson was often having to contort and adjust to even shorter passes.
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There's potentially more to Benson's game than the numbers show, that's the hope. There are some examples of really good wiggle after the catch and contested-catch capability despite his lack of bulk (we saw Benson show well this spring in traffic as he displayed good timing and concentration on various routes).
Malik Benson ? ? ?pic.twitter.com/WMqilDY58s
— Just Win Management Group (@JustWinMGMT) February 22, 2024
Malik Benson did this ZERO times at Alabama. I like how he's been utilized in the offense this Spring. Excellent ball tracking and body control on this rep. Strong hands to beat Cypress pic.twitter.com/QgmmAyGO36
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) April 21, 2024
These are the tools FSU hopes to feature, consistently, in 2024 as Benson is your projected WR1 heading into camp.
Why do we have Benson at No. 5? Below is the reasoning for the ranking as well as 40-6 on our countdown...
Why is he at 5?
Benson distinguished himself as your best receiver this spring.
On one hand, that's encouraging because he was a consistent target for most of the camp and showed the explosive elements you thought you were getting from Benson as a one-year transfer.
On the other, Benson pulled away pretty quickly as your WR1 and there wasn't a ton of production out of the 9-WR spot opposite of him to make you think that Kentron Poitier or Hykeem Williams were clear-cut candidates to start. FSU explored some receivers in the spring, but didn't feel comfortable moving on any in a fairly limited pool.
Hence the importance. He's your probable WR1, and there's going to likely be a ton of volume for Benson this year without many other options you feel good about – at least at this stage in the offseason – supplementing his production if an injury were to occur.
You need Benson to do well for this offense to hit its potential. As Nee says, you're betting on Benson.
Criteria
"Important" can be fairly vague, because it depends on how you define importance. It's subjective. Is it based on the player who holds the most value on the roster? Is it simply decided by determining who is the best/most talented player? Do you weigh what position a player plays and just how much that position impacts the game on a play-to-play basis? What about depth at the position, how is that factored in?
The goal of this exercise is to blend:
*Positional value. A QB, for example, is more important than any position on the field. NFL salary trends show that CB, DE, WR and OT are more valuable than other positions.
*Previous production/projected production. What did a player do last year? What will they do with another year of development?
**Overall talent. Basically, how would this player be ranked in a video game?
*Depth versus backup. How big of a drop-off is there when this player isn't on the field?
*Scheme/usage.
*Dependability. Is this player hurt often? Will they likely miss time? Have they shrunken or gotten better in key moments?
Each staffer can value these respective aspects differently, which makes for a fun addition to the exercise.
Previously
40.RB Caziah Holmes
39.LB Justin Cryer
38.DB Omarion Cooper
37.LB Shawn Murphy
36.DT Grady Kelly
35.TE Jackson West
34.OT Jaylen Early
33.LB Cam Riley
32.CB Quindarrius Jones
31.QB Brock Glenn
30.PK Ryan Fitzgerald
29.DL Tomiwa Durojaiye
28.LB Blake Nichelson
27.WR Kentron Poitier
26.DL Daniel Lyons
25.S Conrad Hussey
24.S Davonte Brown
23.WR Ja'Khi Douglas
22.DE Sione Lolohea
21.ATH Jaylin Lucas
20.OL Richie Leonard IV
19.WR Hykeem Williams
18.CB Fentrell Cypress II
17.OL TJ Ferguson
16.OL Jeremiah Byers
15.TE Kyle Morlock
14.C Maurice Smith
13.RB Roydell Williams
12.RB Lawrance Toafili
11.NB Earl Little Jr.
10.LB DJ Lundy
9.S Shyheim Brown
8.DT Josh Farmer
7.DE Marvin Jones Jr.
6.DT Darrell Jackson
