Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett wasn't taken very seriously as an NFL draft prospect, but the two-time national champion wasted no time making a statement in his NFL preseason debut with the Los Angeles Rams.
Coming in late in the second quarter of the Rams preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, Bennett quickly drove the offense down the field and into the red zone. Facing third and goal from the 11-yard line, Bennett had one last chance to find the end zone before the team's field goal unit had to trot out. With pressure coming from the outside, Bennett kept his eyes downfield, stepped up in the pocket, and rifled in a touchdown to fellow rookie Puka Nacua.
Stetson Bennett fires it in for a TD on his first drive! @StetsonIV
?: #LACvsLAR on @NFLNetwork
?: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/QTM0twMeql— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2023
Although the Rams went on to lose 34-17, Bennett had a strong first preseason game. The former Georgia quarterback completed 17 of 29 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown, giving him a solid passer rating of 89.9.
Bennett was a fourth-round pick by the Rams in the 2023 NFL Draft, going 128th overall. While that may not sound impressive for the average football fan, it's remarkable considering that path that it took for Bennett to get there.
As a 3-star recruit coming out of high school in Georgia, Bennett decided to walk on to the University of Georgia with minimal expectations of ever becoming a starter behind the likes of Justin Fields, Jake Fromm, and JT Daniels. After transferring to Jones College and then returning back to Athens, Bennett eventually took over as the starter in 2020, then led the team to back-to-back national championships as the full-time starter in 2021 and 2022.
While Bennett will have an uphill battle to climb before being considered an NFL-caliber starting quarterback, he can enjoy the preseason while learning from a fellow former Georgia quarterback in Matthew Stafford.
