[CBFF] Earl Bennett - WR (Bears 3rd pick)

[Steve Behrens]

 Earl Bennett
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 209 | Position:WR | College: Vanderbilt

  Overview

Ever since his arrival on campus, the Commodores felt Earl Bennett was the
most dangerous weapon in the Southeastern Conference. By earning All-SEC
honors in each of his three college seasons, Bennett became just the second
player in school history to accomplish the feat, joining linebacker Jamie
Winborn (1998-2000).

Bennett is ready to test his big-play ability in the National Football
League ranks.

In three seasons in Nashville, Bennett shattered most of the school's
single-game, season and career receiving records. His 236 receptions also
established a new all-time conference record. He became the sixth player in
school annals to lead the team in receptions in three-straight years,
joining Bucky Curtis (1948-50), Jeff Starling (1960-62), Curt Chesley
(1968-71), Martin Cox (1976-78) and Dan Stricker (2000-02).

At West End High School, Bennett served as team captain, starting at wide
receiver, running back and cornerback for an 8-3 squad that advanced to the
Class 5A state playoffs as a senior. He was named the City of Birmingham's
Most Valuable Football Player and Most Outstanding Athlete and selected
first-team 5A All-State by the *Alabama Sports Writers Association*.

Bennett also received the Birmingham City Player of the Year Award and
All-Birmingham Metro recognition. He rushed for 829 yards and 12 touchdowns
and caught 45 passes for 729 yards during his final year. He also
intercepted 10 passes and totaled 52 tackles at cornerback. He also lettered
in basketball, averaging 11.2 points per game as the squad's point guard. He
excelled in the classroom, graduating with a 3.82 grade point average.

Bennett made an immediate impact at Vanderbilt. Even though he did not start
until the fourth game of 2005, he set the school and Southeastern Conference
freshman season-record with 79 receptions, good for 876 yards. His average
of 7.18 catches per game ranked ninth in the nation, and he added 76 yards
on 12 punt returns while averaging 21.3 yards on 19 kickoff returns.

His freshman postseason was a busy one, as Bennett garnered Freshman
All-American and Freshman All-SEC honors from *The Sporting News*, and was
the recipient of the squad's Most Valuable Receiver Award. He added
first-team All-SEC (all classes) accolades from the league's coaches and
received second-team mention from *The Associated Press*.

For the second straight season, Bennett was named first team All-SEC by the
league's coaches and received the team's Most Valuable Receiver Award. He
was tied for eighth nationally with a career-high 82 receptions, the
second-best season total in school annals. He gained 1,146 yards, ranking
ninth in the nation with an average of 95.5 yards per game. He completed two
pass attempts for 45 yards and a score, finishing with 1,190 all-purpose
yards.

As a junior, Bennett received All-SEC first-team notice for the third time.
He ranked second in the conference with 75 receptions for 830 yards
(11.1-yard average) and five touchdowns while playing flanker and slot
receiver. He also rushed 10 times for 22 yards.

Bennett declared for the 2008 NFL Draft, deciding not to return to
Vanderbilt for his senior season.

In 35 games at Vanderbilt, Bennett started his final 32 contests. He totaled
2,852 yards on an SEC all-time record 236 catches (12.1-yard average) with
20 touchdowns. He carried 20 times for 44 yards (2.2 avg), returned 25 punts
for 181 yards (7.2 avg) and completed 2-of-4 passes for 45 yards and a
score. He added six tackles (three solo) and piled up 405 yards on 19
kickoff returns (21.3 avg). He scored 120 points and amassed 3,482
all-purpose yards, an average of 99.49 yards per game.
  Analysis

*Positives:* Well-proportioned with long arms, thick chest, broad shoulders
and thick muscle definition in his legs and calves … Split high with a firm
midsection and a tight waist … Lacks explosiveness, but runs with a long
stride and has the change-of-direction agility, along with good route stem
to become a deep threat … Shows the ability to be very physical with
defensive backs, using his hands well to push off to create space … Builds
his acceleration quickly and has the linear speed to elude after the catch …
Shows good balance and body control in his running stride, keeping his head
on a swivel to look the ball in over his outside shoulder … Tough competitor
who has an aggressive nature when asked to cut block, taking good angles to
neutralize second-level defenders … Tough receiver in a crowd, showing the
loose hips and shake to make defenders miss and the frame to adjust to the
ball in flight … Plays with excellent awareness and field vision, coming
back for the ball with good urgency when the quarterback is pressured …
Positions his body to go up and haul down the pass in traffic … Demonstrates
excellent ball concentration, coming out of his cuts and executing fluid
stutter-step moves in his patterns … Shows good acceleration off the line
and the hand punch to beat the press to get a clean release into the second
level … Can threaten the deep part of the zone and can leverage, plant and
cut when running his patterns … Will sneak up on the defender when trying to
get open, using his balance and low pad level to separate … Shows good
short-to-intermediate area quickness in and out of his breaks and can power
through the jam with strong hand swipes … Has the ability to make the
acrobatic catches, as he times his leaps well and uses his long arms to
reach around the defender to secure the ball at its high point … Stays low
in and out of his cuts, displaying the separation quickness to consistently
go deep … Has the functional burst to get behind the defender before the
catch, using his stride to get to the ball in a hurry, taking advantage of
his height and long arms … When he keeps his pad level down, he is effective
at getting into his routes fluidly, using his quick feet to get to the ball
downfield, making proper body adjustments to extend his arm and pluck the
ball … Smooth in his initial burst and can make proper body adjustments to
elude at the second level … Knows how to use his size to power through arm
tackles and is very good at shielding the ball from defenders … Especially
effective at catching screen passes, getting to the ball even with his back
to the quarterback … Uses his shake to make defenders miss and gets back to
top speed in a hurry … Quiet, leader-by-example type who is a hard worker in
the weight room, practice field and on game day … Tough blocker who does a
nice job of facing up with aggression and has a good concept for taking
angles when stalking second-level defenders … Makes a good effort to
position and pester bigger pass rushers and works hard to sustain blocks …
Knows how to use his hands to latch on and jerk the defender's jersey
without getting caught … Once he escapes the press, he has a long stride to
quickly eat up the defender's cushion … Has a good feel for the boundaries
and end zone, keeping his feet in bounds while going vertical to make the
catch … Has the power to drive defenders off when breaking back for the ball
… Strong open-field runner who will bounce off tackles to gain extra yardage
(has a fluid, smooth stride with a rapid turnover).

*Negatives:* Needs to improve his suddenness coming off the snap, but does
build to top speed nicely … Has great hands, but will double catch at times
… When he fails to sink his hips, he will sometimes take false steps coming
out of his breaks … Shows good body control and has the flexibility to
adjust to the ball, but needs to show better consistency (sometimes seems
hesitant in his plant) … Slippery route runner, but does not have that
sudden burst or second gear to win the race to the end zone on pure speed
alone (best when he sets up the defender with double moves and head fakes) …
Needs to improve his slide in the open zone and while he has good
acceleration, he needs to use it with more consistency on transition cuts …
Good short-area receiver, but when he fails to drop his pads, he struggles a
bit to gain separation … Has had ball-security issues fielding punts cleanly
and with his lack of suddenness, it would not be recommended to use him on
special teams at the next level.

*Compares To:* CHRIS CHAMBERS-San Diego … Bennett might lack blazing speed,
but he shows good quickness and body movement in his routes and can get off
the line of scrimmage using power or finesse. His patterns are sharp and
crisp with no wasted motion and he gets in and out of his breaks quickly
when he keeps his pads down. He has outstanding field awareness and the
ability to read coverage. He can locate the ball in a crowd and then
separate. It is rare to see him misjudge a deep throw and he has also
developed into a solid cut blocker. If not used as a deep threat, he will
have good success moving the chains.
  Injury Report

2006: Missed two weeks of August camp with a deep right thigh contusion.

2007: Sat out the second half of the Tennessee game (11/17) when he fell
awkwardly on his back trying to make a catch in the second quarter.
  Agility Tests

Campus: 4.51 in the 40-yard dash … 250-pound bench press … 500-pound squat …
34-inch vertical jump … 4.52 20-yard shuttle … 32 ¼-inch arm length … 9
5/8-inch hands.
  High School

Attended West End (Birmingham, Ala.) High School, playing football for head
coach Jim Tyrus … Served as team captain, starting at wide receiver, running
back and cornerback for an 8-3 squad that advanced to the Class 5A state
playoffs as a senior … Named the City of Birmingham's Most Valuable Football
Player and Most Outstanding Athlete and selected first-team 5A All-State by
the *Alabama Sports Writers Association* … Named Birmingham City Player of
the Year Award … Received All-Birmingham Metro recognition … Rushed for 829
yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 45 passes for 729 yards during his final
year … Also intercepted 10 passes and totaled 52 tackles as cornerback that
season … Lettered in basketball, averaging 11.2 points per game as the
squad's point guard … Excelled in the classroom, graduating with a 3.82
grade point average.
  Personal

Communications major, ranking near the top of his class academically …
Volunteers with several efforts aimed at helping local children in
inner-city Birmingham community … Son of Sarah D. Bennett and Earl Frison …
Born Earl Bryan Bennett on 3/23/87 … Resides in Birmingham, Alabama.