The legend of Stetson Bennett at Georgia ended at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. on Jan. 9 as he — the former walk-on and junior college transfer who grew up a diehard Georgia football fan — became the first quarterback in program history to lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships.
Now that Bennett's collegiate career is over, one big question remains. Can he continue his incredible run at the next level?
The 25-year-old Bennett is the same age as or even older than several signal-callers who have already been in the NFL for multiple years. Jalen Hurts, who will lead the Eagles into the NFC championship game on Sunday (on FOX and the FOX Sports App) is 24. Joe Burrow, who, like Hurts, is in his third NFL season, is six weeks younger than Bennett.
Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa, who also helped their teams to playoff berths this past season, are both several months younger than Bennett. All four of those quarterbacks were drafted in 2020 — months before Bennett had even started his first game for Georgia.
Despite Bennett's winning ways, his age and physical stature — 5-foot-11, 190 lbs. — mean he is not a top draft prospect. There are even questions about whether the quarterback will get drafted at all.
We spoke with an oddsmaker from FOX Bet to tackle this topic from a betting perspective.
Here are FOX Bet's latest hypothetical odds on if Bennett gets drafted and in what slot.
ODDS ON STETSON BENNETT GETTING DRAFTED
OVER/UNDER STETSON BENNETT DRAFT PICK NUMBER
Bennett will likely come nowhere close to the quarterbacks who are expected to be taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, though he did record wins over all three — Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis — during his Bulldogs career. But FOX Bet oddsmakers still like his chances of getting selected before the draft is over.
"From a scouting perspective, there is nothing about Bennett that stands out," FOX Bet sports trader Matthew Griffe said. "But the guy is a proven winner and, by all accounts, will make a great addition to a locker room."
Some Georgia sports fans — and even some Georgia athletes, such as Braves outfielder and Georgia native Michael Harris II — want the Falcons, who have lingering questions at quarterback, to take Bennett in the first round.
That may be unlikely to happen, but the Falcons do have the Jaguars' fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft due to the Calvin Ridley trade — and that pick is No. 155.
"While Bennett doesn't grade out as an elite prospect, he will be a name to watch on Day 3 of the draft as teams look to add a proven winner to their locker room," Griffe explained.
Wherever Bennett goes, however, it will be hard to count him out again. Late-round quarterbacks can flourish in the right situation — just ask "Mr. Irrelevant" of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy.
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