Benny Snell Jr. Could Be A Nice Addition To The Redskins Running Back Group

Benjamin “Benny” Snell Jr., RB
School: Kentucky | Conference: SEC
College Experience: Junior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 5’10” / 224 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 4th or 5th Round
Player Comparison: Shonn Greene

College Statistics

Player Overview

If you are a team looking for a downhill runner who can wear down a defense and close out a game, then Kentucky’s Benny Snell Jr. is the running back for you. Benny is the son of former Ravens draft pick Benjamin Snell Sr. and the great nephew of former Jets running back Matt Snell, who helped the Jets defeat the Colts in Super Bowl III. Coming out of Westerville Central High School in Ohio, he was considered to be a 3-Star recruit. After receiving interest from a few Power 5 schools, Snell decided to take his talents to Lexington to play for Head Coach Mark Stoops.

During his tenure with the Wildcats, Snell would break multiple school records, including career rushing yards (3,873), total touchdowns (48), and 100-yard rushing games (19). Benny also joined Herschel Walker as the only other player in SEC history to rush for 1,000 yards and 12 TD’s in each of their first three seasons. He received All-SEC accolades each year on campus and was an AP All-American (3rd Team) as a Junior. Snell then capped his college career by being named the 2019 Citrus Bowl MVP.

As expected, Snell’s combine workout numbers were far from impressive, as he is not a very dynamic athlete. Snell “is not” an explosive runner. What he “is” is a one-cut, get up the field hammer, that absolutely knows how to get into the end zone. He will be at his best running between the tackles and picking up hard yardage late in ball games.

Strengths

• Runs with power and physicality; not easily brought down on first contact, should rack up plenty of YAC at the next level
• Has good balance and keeps a low center of gravity
• Shows ideal vision, often finding holes and weak spots in the defensive front
• Solid in pass protection, which is a big plus, because this is usually the achilles heel of rookie running backs coming into the league
• Possesses a thick frame, which is ideal for a yard-grinding running back
• He is a young prospect who will still be 21 by the end of next season
• NFL bloodline

Weaknesses

• Does not have the breakaway speed that most teams covet
• Not an overall explosive athlete, which was fairly evident by his combine results
• Lateral quickness and agility leave a lot to be desired
• His hands are questionable, did not offer much in the passing game while in school

Let’s See His Work

How He Would Fit The Redskins

There is no question that Derrius Guice is going to be the feature back moving forward for the Redskins, with Chris Thompson picking up third-down duties. But seeing how the shelf life of an average NFL back is fairly short, not to mention Guice is coming off a torn ACL that ended his rookie season before it ended, the team could use someone who can come in and pick up some slack in the snap count. At the time of this writing, Adrian Peterson has not yet re-signed with the team, and there is no certainty that he will. Even if Peterson was to re-sign, he will be 34 by the end of the month. While he has been able to cheat father time to this point, no one ever wins that battle. Adding Snell to the running backs room would give the team an extra workhorse to lean on as Guice is brought back into form at the appropriate pace. Plus, Benny would give the team a very solid goal line and short yardage specialist. It has been made clear that Gruden would like to run the ball more than the league average, and depending on who we trot out under center this year, that trend may continue. Snell currently projects as a day three selection, which would be ideal for Washington, as the team has multiple holes to fill with their first four selections. Snell appears to be a fit for the Redskins, but will he don the burgundy and gold next season? Stay tuned Skins fans.