2019 NFL Draft: Overlook Benny Snell at your own peril

Benny Snell had a prolific, record-breaking career at Kentucky, but he continues to fly under the radar as an NFL Draft prospect, much like he did as a recruit.

Kentucky’s Benny Snell is used to being overlooked. The draft process hasn’t been that different from his recruitment, where the three-star prospect from Westerville, Ohio was overlooked by in-state Ohio State and other prominent Big Ten programs like Penn State and Michigan.

Snell was ranked as the No. 876 overall prospect in the 247 composites, and the 56th ranked running back in the 2016 class. It took him little time to outperform his ranking, immediately making an impact for Kentucky after the Wildcats gave him an opportunity.

He immediately became a 1000 yard rusher in his freshman season, a benchmark that he would surpass in all three of his seasons in Lexington. By the time his career was over, Snell had set numerous school records, including becoming the program’s all time leading rusher with 3873 yards.

Snell was a two-time All-SEC performer and was a third-team All-American as a junior in 2018. His strong final season with the Wildcats helped Kentucky to its first 10-win season in over 40 years.

Despite his workhorse ability and his prolific numbers as a college football running back, Snell hasn’t received much hype in the pre-draft process. He’s never been in serious contention for the top running back spot, or ever looked at as a potential first round pick.

Snell has been projected by most as a mid-to-late round pick who will find his NFL home some time on day three of the draft.

Snell is flying under the radar again, right where he is most comfortable at, ready to prove the doubters wrong at the highest level of football.

Strengths 

Snell isn’t the most impressive physical specimen at running back. He doesn’t have an elite 40-time or short burst, he’s not much of a receiving threat out of the backfield, and he doesn’t have elite elusiveness.

His biggest strength is an intangible, his competitive toughness to always fight for that extra inch or two. You don’t have to worry about Snell’s motor ever running cold; he’s full-speed from the first snap to the final whistle. He seems to get better as the game goes on, with every hit he takes seeming to energize him to push one step further.

He’s a bull of a running back with excellent balance and center of gravity. He runs hard between the tackles and refuses to go down at first contact. In the right scheme, Snell could have a very productive NFL career as a downhill power runner who in the very least should be a productive player in short-yardage and goal line situations.

He’s also an excellent pass blocker, a trait that should allow him to make an impact immediately as a rookie at the next level.

And that’s assuming that he can’t develop some of the other traits in the NFL, which he almost certainly can. He wasn’t asked to be much of a receiver in Kentucky’s offense, but he’s good enough in the open field to think that he could develop as a receiver enough to make him even more intriguing as a prospect.

Weaknesses

There are some legitimate concerns about Snell’s future. For one, he carried a massive load during his career at Kentucky. His 289 carries as a junior were more than Alabama’s Josh Jacobs, considered the consensus top running back in this class, had in his three-year career with the Crimson Tide. At other positions, Snell could’ve returned to Lexington for his senior season to improve his stock, but with so much tread on his tires already, he had no real choice but to jump to the NFL to take advantage of his short shelf life as a running back.

Snell doesn’t have great speed, in short bursts or at top-end, which could limit his ability to breakaway from NFL defenders and relegate him to situational roles as a rotational running back. He has elite vision, but he’s a bit slower than optimal at hitting the open holes, which close much quicker in the NFL than they do in college.

His limitations likely prevent him from becoming a star in the pros, but doubting Benny Snell has never been a winning proposition for scouts.

Draft Projection:

Snell could sneak into late day two consideration at the end of the third round, but the most likely scenario for the Kentucky standout is day three, somewhere in the fourth round. That will put low expectations on his NFL career, much like the low expectations he entered college with.

Chances are, whichever NFL team grabs Snell on day three will come away extremely happy to have a kid with his work ethic, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he put together an outstanding rookie season on his way to a productive, albeit potentially short, NFL career.

Projection: Fourth Round