Stetson Bennett Once Again Proves The Doubters Wrong, This Time In The NFL Draft

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett spent the past three seasons in Athens proving folks wrong with his play on the field. Now, the former Bulldog will get a chance to do it in the NFL, silencing some critics once again, as the Los Angeles Rams took Bennett in the fourth round.

The Rams certainly needed to add a quarterback and decided to go the Georgia route again, with Bennett now playing with former Bulldog Matthew Stafford. There were a number of folks who thought the two-time national championship winning quarterback might fall out of the NFL Draft, but he ended up not only proving them wrong, but being taken in the fourth round.

INGLEWOOD, CA - JANUARY 09: Stetson Bennett #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates the Bulldogs victory over the TCU Horned Frogs during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at SoFi Stadium on January 9, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)

Bennett was the seventh quarterback to come off the board, going one pick after Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener, who was drafted by the Saints.

We all know the story of Stetson Bennett, who went from walk-on to starting quarterback for a Georgia team that would win back-to-back titles. In his final season, Bennett passed for 4,128 yards, 27 TD's and just 7 interceptions.

His final game as quarterback for Georgia came in the 65-7 blowout of TCU, in his new home of SoFi Stadium.

"We're excited to get ya, fired up," Sean McVay told Bennett on the call. "We've got an all Georgia quarterback room now. Look forward to getting you going, got a lot of respect for you as a player, it's gonna be a lot of fun."

Stetson Bennett Had To Overcome Tumultuous Offseason

There were certainly a number of red flags when it comes to the NFL for Bennett, with him turning 26 in October. But age had nothing to do with him skipping out on the Senior Bowl, while then being arrested for public intoxication in Dallas. Police responded to a suspicious person call at a town home at about 6:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 29th.

When officers arrived to the scene, Stetson Bennett seemed to be intoxicated while trying to answer questions from officers. After a few minutes of back and forth, Bennett was handcuffed and arrested on the public intoxication charge. Stetson was in Dallas training for the combine when the incident occurred,

It was a mistake that everyone’s aware of. "I understand why that can’t happen. I’ve talked to coaches about it, talked to GMs, apologized to my family,” Bennett told reporters at the NFL Combine.

The incident did not seem to worry NFL GM's, with him going in the fourth round. If anything, he proved a point that this was a one-time mistake that wouldn't happen again, especially when a team picks you that high, with a lot of doubters in NFL circles.

A New Challenge For Stetson Bennett In The NFL

There have certainly been a number of obstacles Bennett has overcome during his years at Georgia. If it weren't for an injury to JT Daniels, who knows if we would've seen him get his shot at starting quarterback. But not only did he exceed expectations, he set records in Athens as well. Leading his team to one championship is hard enough, but Bennett did it twice in dramatic fashion.

No, the CFP national championship game was a cakewalk for the Bulldogs, but his performance against Ohio State in the semifinals will be hard to forget. But 2023 presents a new challenge for the Georgia native.

Can Stetson Bennett become a starting quarterback in the NFL? After leading the Rams to a Super Bowl, Matthew Stafford backed it up with a rough 2022, throwing 10 TD's and 8 interceptions in only 9 games last season. There's a reason why the Sean McVay decided to pick Bennett, but I certainly don't expect Bennett to sit around for 2-3 years as a backup quarterback, not at 26 years old.

In terms of playing with Matthew Stafford, they first met after Stetson led the Bulldogs to a national championship in Los Angeles this past January. Now, the two former Georgia quarterbacks will be teammates, something Bennett could never have imagined.

"That was actually my first time ever meeting him," Stetson told local reporters about Stafford. "I grew up watching him and being a fan of Georgia and all, but no, never could imagine."

As he has shown numerous times against some of the best competition in college football, Bennett is not just a pocket quarterback. His ability to get outside the pocket and extend plays is a trait that the Rams will certainly try to take advantage of, along with his knowledge of the game.

The one thing Bennett has shown us over the last four years is that he's up for a challenge, most of the time exceeding the expectations.

Now, he will get a chance to prove the doubters wrong, once again.