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ARRELIOUS BENN
6-2/220
Illinois Junior

PROS: Has great athleticism and is a smooth runner. Has good speed, burst, and acceleration. Has strong hands, adjusts to the ball, and has good body control to make the highlight reel catches. A good runner after the catch that uses size well to break tackles and make big plays. Capable blocker because he uses hands and has good strength and could dominate in that realm down the road. Also shows ability as a kickoff returner.
CONS: Needs to show better awareness and know when to cut off his routes to help his quarterback. Will body catch at times and needs to do a better job securing the ball before turning upfield. Could do a better job getting position as a blocker. Has a tendency to dance a bit too much on screens and after the catch.
OVERVIEW: People were disappointed with the down year he had this year, but I think his lack of productivity had more to do with his quarterback (Juice Williams) than himself. He simply has all of the tools to be a dominant No. 1 option at the next level. Works mainly out of the slot.
NFL FORECAST: There's a lot about his game that reminds me of Andre Johnson. And I was one of those people that didn't think Johnson had the hands or concentration to be a successful and consistent pro. Boy, was I wrong. Benn is going to have to be coached up, and I do think he could get off to a slow start as a pro. But I think with time and effort, he'll develop into a solid No. 1 option. I think early on his career, he'll be best used as a vertical option as his game becomes more polished to be a go-to guy like Johnson. I think he could be one of the better blocking receivers in the league if he puts forth more effort to improve there. As a route-runner, he's not great but with his athleticism, burst, and size, getting separation won't be a problem once he improves there. The only thing that can stop Benn from being a top NFL receiver is lacking work ethic. But I see nothing about his game to suggest he has that, but then again I'm basing that off what I've seen on TV or read in newspapers, which aren't exactly definitive sources. So when teams interview and he grades highly on his character in terms of possessing a hunger to get better, then I see no reason to believe that he won't be a Top 10 receiver by the end of his third season.
ATL FORECAST: Benn would be a good complement to Roddy. Right away, he doesn't have to be that guy that makes catches all over the field. He'll mainly be used as a vertical weapon out of the slot and on the outside. He won't supplant either Douglas or Jenkins right away, but he certainly has the playmaking ability that he can contribute in small doses as a rookie. And if he develops at a comparable rate as Roddy did, he'll be starting by the end of the 2012 season over Jenkins just because there is strong reason to believe that everything Jenkins can do, he can do better. He's faster, more explosive, stronger, and shows stronger hands and body control. And in the mean time, he can contribute as the fourth receiver if/when the Falcons like to spread the field.
VALUE: Benn has the talent to be a Top 10 pick, but his lack of production probably knocks him down to a mid-to-late first round pick. But for a team looking for the next Andre Johnson and can somewhat afford to be patient, he'd merit a solid Top 15 or 20 pick.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 4.0
HANDS: 4.0
AFTER CATCH: 4.0
BODY CONTROL: 4.0
RANGE: 4.0

Pros: Has good size, speed and athletic ability for the position. He shows the ability to catch the ball away from his body with his hands, and adjusts to the ball well in the air even if it isn’t thrown well. Is a threat to gain yardage after the catch as he runs hard and shows a bit of a stiff arm, and won’t go down to simple arm tackles. Uses his frame well to shield defenders away from the ball.

Cons: He body catches and he will need to work on that because that is a bad habit, and it will result in drops in the NFL. He isn’t the shiftiest runner after the catch, and isn’t the quickest player. He runs ok routes, but needs to be more sudden in and out of his breaks to create more separation in the NFL. Mostly got open due to his natural ability and because of the offense he played in. He is a physical blocker but could improve in this area.

Overall: Benn has a lot of potential as a receiver, but if he can learn to stop body catching and run better routes (both of which can be coached up in the NFL) then he could develop into a legitimate #1 target. He strikes me as a receiver who won’t make much of an impact as a rookie as he adjusts to the NFL, begins to learn how to run better routes and tries to consistently catch with his hands more. He will probably be used some as a rookie, but it will be in the slot in 3 and 4 WR sets. He will show more promise as a 2nd year player, and like many receivers he will burst onto the scene in his 3rd season and emerge as a #1 WR shortly afterwards. That is his ceiling after all. His floor is a #3 or #4 receiver who can make a decent contribution due to his athletic ability but never worked hard enough to develop as a route runner and to clean up his fundamentals. I tend to think he will work hard and reach his ceiling however.

Projection: Late 1st, early 2nd round: I would probably pick him in the top 20, but some injury concerns will drop him a little bit and he didn’t have great numbers thanks to Juice Williams at Illinois. However, similar to Roddy White (who went in the late 1st round) I think he will start slow as a rookie, develop and show promise as a 2nd year receiver and then burst onto the scene in his 3rd year in the NFL, and potentially end up in the Pro-Bowl after that. The team that drafts him just has to be patient.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 4.0
HANDS: 3.5
AFTER CATCH: 4.0
BODY CONTROL: 4.0
RANGE: 4.0
ROUTE RUNNING: 3.0