While I initially favored Jonathan Brooks in my running back rankings, I was quickly hooked after looking into Trey Benson’s athletic and analytical profile. That made my decision to draft Benson at 2.03 in our RSJ Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft as easy as ordering a Frosty with a Baconator at Wendy’s.
After getting burned a bit on Cam Akers, highly regarded Florida State running backs are battling .500 in the league after Dalvin Cook dominated the fantasy landscape.
Weighing in at 216 pounds, Benson left scorch marks on the ground behind him following his impressive collegiate career and 4.39 40 at the NFL Combine.
CAN BENSON SURPASS JAMES CONNER?
The size-speed freak currently resides behind James Conner, but how much of an obstacle is that to overcome, really?
Conner has been a stalwart among mid-round running back values and exudes the title of workhorse running back throughout his career. However, the story of Conner’s career has also been his particular proclivity for missing games during the season. In fact, Conner has missed at least three games in five of the last six seasons. Being injury-prone is not a thing until it is– especially at 29 years old.
So, why is Benson a threat? Well, in the event that Conner misses time with an injury, the Cardinals will likely lean heavily on Benson and see what their 2025 three-down running back brings to the table. In all likelihood, once they see Benson in action, it will be hard to keep him off the field.
With buttery soft hands, breakaway speed, and strong run-blocking, Benson has a great opportunity to carve out a role and steal passing down work from Conner out the gate.
Forcing missed tackles on 36% of his rush attempts ranks third in the class, tied with Jaylen Wright. Utilizing Graham Barfield’s Yards Created metric, we see how enticing a player Benson could become on a rising young offense that features Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Trey McBride.
With a respectable 4.57 yards created per attempt, Benson thrived when setting the edge and making players miss in open space. While respectable, among offensive lines charted by Barfield, Florida State’s was in the middle of the pack regarding run-blocking.
Benson fits the Cardinals’ run-blocking scheme like a glove. At Florida State, the Seminoles utilized both gap and zone-blocking schemes, and Benson thrived in both. Averaging a yard per carry more in gap vs. zone, his flair for exploding for big gains in gap-scheme blocking makes him a strong 2025 breakout candidate.
According to PFF, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing ran more gap than zone for most of 2023. Conner averaged nearly nine gap runs per game last season, which was good for fourth-most in the NFL.
TREY BENSON 2024 FANTASY OUTLOOK AND DYNASTY VALUE
With zero collegiate fumbles, homerun speed, and ankle-breaking elusiveness, Benson is in line to slice and dice defensive lines for chunk plays and awe-inspiring touchdowns. He should see the field earlier than expected, making his 2024 fantasy outlook higher than most expected on draft day.
The Wolf ranks Benson at RB31 on his 2024 Fantasy Rankings, while Conner sits slightly ahead at RB25.
From a dynasty perspective, Benson sits at RB2 overall behind Jonathan Brooks on our 2024 Dynasty Rookie Rankings, with clear upside as the future Cardinals’ workhorse.
