David Chao, MD
2 min read • March 14, 2024
Posted in
By many metrics, Florida State running back Trey Benson is the type of work horse back that many teams are looking for in the early rounds of the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
However, the catastrophic right knee injury he suffered in December 2020 will likely cause him to slide to a late Day 2 or even Day 3 pick, according to our panel of former head team physicians.
During his freshman season with the Oregon Ducks, Benson suffered a severe right knee injury that included a torn ACL, MCL, lateral and medial meniscus plus a torn gracilis tendon (hamstring).
He suffered the injury on Dec. 1, 2020 and did not return to game action until Sept. 18, 2021. He went on to play just 14 snaps during the 2021 season before transferring to Florida State as a sophomore.
He put the ACL recovery behind him in his final two seasons with the Seminoles, but the significant right knee injury will likely affect his longevity in the league, according to the Pro Football Docs.
Benson did not miss a game during his time with Florida State.
The 21-year-old rusher showed good burst and acceleration during his two seasons at Florida State, rushing for over 900 yards and 9+ touchdowns in back-to-back years.
Bensons averaged 6.4 yards per carry in 2022 and 5.8 yards per carry in 2023, while catching 13 passes for 144 yards in his first season with the Seminoles and 20 passes for 227 receiving yards and a touchdown in his final season.
He is a projected third round pick, according to NFL Mock Draft Database, with 7.3% of mock drafts projecting him to be taken in the first round.
Other running backs in the draft include Blake Corum, Jonathan Brooks, Braelon Allen, Rasheen Ali and more.
Written by David Chao, MD
