To kick off their third round, the Arizona Cardinals stayed put at No. 66 and drafted Florida State running back Trey Benson to add to the offense. Adding Benson and pairing him with James Conner is going to take pressure off of Kyler Murray in the run game. In his last two seasons with the Seminoles, Benson ran for over 900 yards in each season and had 23 rushing touchdowns as well. His best game of the 2023 season took place against Virginia Tech where he rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns. He will not bring his production to the desert.
Benson is the second running back to come off the board and the Cardinals get great value by getting him in the third round. Standing at 6’1”, Benson is a big back who can run in between the tackles and keeps his motor going until the whistle blows. Monti Ossenfort brings future stability at the running back position, seeing as how James Conner is going into his final year of his contract with the Cardinals. Conner is coming off of a career year, but needed a teammate who can take pressure off him as well.
Benson is not someone who is going to dance and look for a running lane. Once he gets the ball in his hands he just moves forward. In addition to him being a runner, Benson has pass-catching ability as well but it felt like he never hit his ceiling with it when he was at Florida State. It will be something to watch as to how Drew Petzing utilizes Benson in this offense.
The Cardinals made a smart pick here by acquiring Benson. They give Kyler Murray another weapon in the backfield, and get themselves a player who can potentially transition into the starter beyond the 2024 season.