Although the Green Bay Packers are gearing up for a potential Super Bowl run, that doesn't mean their scouts aren't out searching for the next wave of players to join the team. Arizona State junior running back Eno Benjamin should be one of those players.
Benjamin burst onto the scene as a sophomore for the Sun Devils, carrying the ball 300 times for 1,642 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also added 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. This performance saw him rise up the future draft boards of many.
He didn't quite replicate the success he had in 2018, but this season, Benjamin has still been great. Working with freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels, the star back rushed for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns. He caught seven more passes than the year before, contributing two more touchdowns. He has since announced he'll forego his senior season in preparation for the 2020 NFL Draft.
So where do the Packers fit into this puzzle? Well, because Benjamin was good-but-not-great in 2019, he won't be a top draft pick. Should he be available in the fourth or fifth round, Green Bay would be wise to select him. Behind superstar running back Aaron Jones, pretty much all GB has is Jamaal Williams. Williams is a more than capable backup running back, but he's set to become a free agent after next season.
Benjamin would not only provide an insurance policy in the event Williams either suffers an injury or elects to test the free agent waters following the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. Jones is one of the most valuable running backs in the league, so Green Bay should be jumping at every opportunity to keep him fresh and, in turn, relieve a bit of pressure from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
On top of that, Benjamin is just a really solid football player. He's not going to wow with speed. On the other hand, his ability to shed tackles and maintain his balance is terrific. He's virtually the same size as Jones (5'10”, 210 pounds vs. 5'9″, 208 pounds) and can catch passes out of the backfield as a security blanket for Rodgers. This move just makes a ton of sense if you're the Packers.
The NFL Draft isn't always going to be flashy. As a matter of fact, the teams that do the best job are oftentimes the ones that hit on mid-to-late round draft picks. Eno Benjamin isn't sitting atop many (if any) draft boards. The Green Bay Packers could use a third running back at the minimum. If he's still available on the third day of the draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst should pull the trigger and bring the running back into the fold of the green and yellow.