Jakorian Bennett NFL Draft Scouting Report

CB, Maryland Terrapins

Jakorian Bennett is a senior cornerback for the Maryland Terrapins who spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College before transferring. At Maryland, Bennett is utilized in multiple positions, depending on personnel groupings and formations Bennett will play CB, safety, or nickel and should be viewed much more as a defensive back prospect than just a pure cornerback prospect.

As a defensive back, Bennett appears to be comfortable when he is playing off coverage or a bail technique, which allows him to quickly get eyes on the quarterback while keeping the receiver in his view. Playing this technique allows Bennett to be able to read the receiver and the quarterback and give himself an opportunity to make a play on the football. Throughout his career at Maryland Bennett has been productive on the football, tallying multiple interceptions and PBUs in his career. Bennett’s technique also allows for him to be an asset in run defense. Bennett does a fairly good job of closing to blockers and inserting himself on run plays becoming a willing tackler on the perimeter.

Although Bennett has many plus-level qualities there are some traits that Bennett needs to improve upon as a defensive back. There appears to be some hip stiffness when Bennett has to quickly flip his hips and run with athletically-superior receivers that can get vertical quickly, stack him, and begin to separate. This results in Bennett grabbing receivers, which can result in penalties in the NFL. Bennett also needs to improve his consistency locating the football in the air. There are instances where Bennett is in phase with the receiver but his failure to locate the ball results in the receiver catching the ball or Bennett drawing a holding/pass interference penalty. 

Overall, Bennett’s upside is tied to his versatility and ability to play multiple positions but there are elements to his game that need improvement. 

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Positional versatility (CB, NB, SAF)  
• Willing tackler    
• Football IQ 

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Lower-body tightness
• Down-the-field speed  
• Grabby

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 5′ 11”

Weight: 188 lbs

Arm Length: 31 7/8”

Hand Size:  9 1/8”

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: 4.30s

Vertical Jump: 40.5”

Broad Jump: 11′ 1”

Short-Shuttle: TBD

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: 13 reps

Ideal Role: Outside corner in zone scheme 

Scheme Fit: Cover 2 or Cover 3 

TDN Consensus Grade: 74.50 /100 (Fourth-Round Value)

• Sanchez Grade: 74.50 /100

Written By: Keith Sanchez 

Exposures: Michigan (2022), Purdue (2022), Iowa (2021), Rutgers (2021)

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