Trey Benson  |  RB  |  Florida State |  2024 Draft Eligible

Trey Benson may not be a household name in the same sense that TreVeyon Henderson or Raheim Sanders is, but don’t be surprised if you hear this guy’s name every Sunday a year from now. Benson earned the attention of Devy players midway through his redshirt sophomore campaign, posting some truly impressive numbers and helping the Seminoles to a six-game win streak to end the season. Before we look at his 2022 season and projections for the NFL, let’s start from the beginning. 

High School 

Benson went to high school in Greenville, Mississippi, initially attending O’Bannon High School before transferring to St. Joseph Catholic as a junior. According to MaxPreps, Trey combined for 3,616 yards and 48 rush TDs in his final two seasons at St. Joseph, averaging a whopping 13.9 YPC in that span. Benson wasn’t overly involved in the receiving game in high school, compiling 19 receptions and 250 yards in those two seasons. He was a three-star recruit, according to ESPN, and a 4-star recruit on 247 Sports, and committed to Oregon before his senior year in 2019. 

Oregon 

Benson was redshirted as a freshman at Oregon in 2020 and got little opportunity in 2021. He finished with just six attempts for 22 yards and one touchdown, buried deep down the depth chart behind RBs like Travis Dye and CJ Verdell. Trey elected to enter the transfer portal after his 2021 season, making the trek across the country to Tallahassee to play for Head Coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles. 

Florida State

Benson started his redshirt sophomore season with limited opportunity, receiving 11 rush attempts or less in each of his first seven games for Florida State. This backfield started as a three-man committee consisting of Benson, Treshaun Ward, and Lawrance Toafili. But when Ward went down with a collarbone injury midseason against NC State, both Benson and Toafili saw an increase in workload, and Benson proved himself to be the superior back. 

From Weeks 8-13, the Seminoles went 6-0 primarily due to Trey’s exceptional play. During that stretch, he posted 100 rush attempts for 518 yards and six TDs and added eight receptions for 123 yards. Overall, he finished the year with 990 rush yards, 6.4 YPC, and nine TDs. He also totaled 13 receptions for 144 yards. Benson heads into his redshirt junior season looking to build on that breakout season and cement himself as a Day 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Expectations are certainly high for Benson and company. Eric MacLain of the ACC Network says he believes QB Jordan Travis and Trey Benson are the best RB-QB duo in the nation.

NFL Projections

NFL Draft Buzz has Trey Benson as the RB6 in this draft class. He is listed at 6 ‘1″, 215 lbs., with 4.37 speed, so he has the size and speed to be a three-down back in the NFL. Benson has excellent burst and cutback ability and above-average vision. He was a reliable pass protector for Florida State in 2022, which will increase his odds of becoming an NFL workhorse one day. Benson wasn’t running actual routes much last year, but he was an essential piece to the screen game and has solid YAC ability due to his vision, size, and speed. One thing to monitor heading into 2023 is whether Benson can expand his role in the passing game. If he can prove his worth as a pass-catcher, Benson should be a first-round selection in 2024 Superflex rookie drafts and potentially a steal for a team looking to improve their NFL odds next season. 

Dynasty/Devy Value

In a recent Superflex mock draft by The Sports Gambling Podcast, Trey Benson went at the 1.11 as the RB4, behind only TreVeyon Henderson, Raheim Sanders, and Braelon Allen. I don’t expect him to creep up any higher than this, but 1.11 is certainly a realistic expectation for Benson if he posts some impressive numbers in 2023. In the most recent Devy startup I joined this summer, Benson went at the 2.11 (23rd overall). I think a late-second, early-third Devy pick is a fair price point for Benson, assuming you’re drafting 2023 college players from all draft classes. 

There’s no debating that Benson has less history of college production than many of the RBs we mentioned above in his draft class. We’ve only seen a significant workload from Trey for about six weeks of college football, so he may be seen as more of a gamble in your startup drafts. We have, however, seen his extraordinary efficiency since Week 1 in Tallahassee, and the tape shows us this guy could be special. Benson is a guy I expect to have a real shot of hitting your starting fantasy lineups in 2024 and beyond. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding