Browns NFL Draft Profile: RB Trey Benson

Cleveland’s run game lacked a big-play threat after Nick Chubb went down last season. Florida State’s Trey Benson could be the answer to that problem.

The Cleveland Browns learned what life is like without running back Nick Chubb in 2023 and it was not always pretty.

Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt, and Pierre Strong Jr. did their best, but it wasn’t the same without the league’s best running back lining up behind center.

Related: ESPN mock draft brings Cleveland first RB off the board

Heading into this season, the Browns are still waiting to see when Chubb can return to the field – and what he can produce – as he recovers from last season’s serious knee injury. Hunt is once again a free agent, replaced by veteran D’Onta Foreman, while Ford and Strong are still around.

If the Browns are looking for a running back in the 2024 NFL Draft who can hit that big play, they may be tempted by Florida State’s Trey Benson if he is still available when they are on the clock in the second round.

Name: Trey Benson

Position: Running Back

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 216 pounds

College: Florida State Seminoles

Stats (4 seasons): 36 career games, 316 rushing attempts, 1,918 rushing yards, 6.1 yards per carry, 24 rushing touchdowns, 33 receptions, 371 receiving yards, 11.2 yards per catch, 1 receiving touchdown

Relative Athletic Score

Average “Big Board” Position As of Publishing Date

60th Overall (NFL Mock Draft Database)

PFF Big Board Rank: 86th

What an Expert is Saying

Pros and Cons

Trey Benson will be high on some team’s draft boards thanks to his highlight plays, his good size, and low mileage after playing just two years at Florida State and totaling just six carries in two seasons at Oregon.

He also runs with “enough plant-and-go explosiveness and run strength that he rarely goes down on initial contact — and he forces some missed tackles that defy gravity,” according to Dane Brugler at The Athletic, which would fit nicely in Cleveland.

The drawback is that Benson too often looks for the big play, according to NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein:

(Benson is a) big back who might need to table his desires to be an elusive runner and adopt a more physical, decisive approach as a pro. Benson had just two seasons of collegiate wear and tear, but he only hit the 20-carry mark in one game. He runs with good knee-bend, agility, and contact balance but takes too long to process the front and hit holes between the tackles.

He has creative athleticism but lacks creative vision, so he would be wise to keep more runs on track and finish with consistent authority rather than searching for greener grass. Benson has some talent as a pass catcher and enough protection ability to warrant a role as a complementary three-down option.

Pro Football Focus also celebrates Benson’s explosiveness and highlights that he forced 124 missed tackles in his last 310 rushes at Florida State, but cautions that he needs “more patience in order to maximize his athletic gifts and be more than a committee running back.”

Browns Player Drafting Could Impact

The Browns are building a running back by committee while they wait to see what Nick Chubb can do after suffering a major knee injury last season. They added D’Onta Foreman in free agency to join incumbents Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr., and John Kelly Jr.

Benson would have a great opportunity to move to the top of the pecking order if he can solve his inconsistency issues, which means he would potentially eat into Ford’s carries once Chubb returns to the field.

Priority

Medium: The Browns missed Chubb’s explosiveness last season as they only had 12 runs of more than 20 yards after averaging 22.5 of them the previous three seasons. Benson has the athletic ability to bring those big runs back to the offense, but only if he can harness that ability. Being part of a group as a rookie to get himself set could pay off in year two and get the Browns back to being a team that opposing defenses worry about when it comes to stopping the run.