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Name: Kechaun Bennett
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 241 lbs.
High school: Suffield (CT) Suffield Academy
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #52
Last year: I ranked Bennett #59 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He played in three games.
TTB Rating: 78
Bennett's 2022 season was a very quiet one. Buried pretty low on the depth chart, he played in Michigan's first three games of the season, all of which were massive blowouts. Then he disappeared for the rest of the year. Michigan had a great defensive season and they stayed mostly injury-free at the edge positions, so he was never really in the running to play in a backup role, either.
There was a little bit of excitement this spring about the way Bennett played, so maybe he's finally coming around in year three. His listed weight is the same as last season and he's actually one inch shorter at 6'4" than he was listed last year. But he made 3 tackles in the spring game and also got a QB hurry on Jack Tuttle that forced an interception. The depth chart is a little friendlier in 2023 than it was in 2022, so that's good news for Bennett: Mike Morris (NFL), Taylor Upshaw (Arizona), and Eyabi Okie (Charlotte) all departed, while Josaiah Stewart was added from Coastal Carolina. But Bennett is still probably a third-stringer at best.
Prediction: Backup defensive end
Maybe he'll have an Ojaboesque zero to hero Junior year?
ReplyDeleteMy speculation regarding the 3 EDGE despartures is that Okie should be replaced by Stewart with Stewart probably being used way more often, cutting into Harrell's snaps a bit as well. Upshaw could be replaced by TJ Guy. I don't necessarily see a spot for Bennett unless he surges.
ReplyDeleteNot mentioned there is the bigger issue of the departure of Morris. I don't think Bennett is in that convo as he's a different type of EDGE. Morris could mostly just be replaced with McGregor and Moore taking the majority of snaps but I'm not sure they can just tighten up the rotation from 3 guys to 2. Third guy could be a freshman (one for one replacement of Moore's last season) or I suppose greater use of the LB-shaped EDGEs. Another option I wonder about is moving Jenkins around to have him play Morris' spot in 4-man fronts. Given the strong depth at DT this might make sense.
Who the 3rd big DE is (behind McGregor/Moore) will be an interesting thing to watch during camp. Maybe there have been some offseason weight gains that add a contender to that side of the DL (like say if TJ Guy added 15-20 pounds).
-Lank
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