Dynasty Prospect Profile: Benny Snell
Benny Snell, RB, Kentucky
Height: 5’10.5
Weight: 224
Age: 21.1
Combine results:
40-yard dash: 4.66 seconds (19th percentile)
Vertical: 29.5 inches (4th)
Broad: 119 inches (57th)
3-cone drill: 7.07 seconds (51st)
20-yard shuttle: 4.33 seconds (30th)
College career:
The hyper-productive runner leaves Kentucky as the school’s all-time leading rusher despite playing only 3 seasons.
Snell -- whose father, Benjamin, and great-uncle Matt both played RB in the NFL -- split carries with upperclassman Boom Williams as a true freshman but led the team in rushing attempts and ground scores. Snell’s production earned him freshman All-SEC and All-America honors.
He took over the backfield as a sophomore, claiming 57.1% of the team RB carries and scoring 73.1% of the rushing TDs. Snell racked up 7 games of 100+ rushing yards, topping 170 three times. He also delivered 6 games of 2+ TDs.
Snell then averaged 22.2 carries per game as a senior en route to top-10 national finishes in rushing attempts, yards and TDs. He eclipsed 100 yards another 7 times, including 3 straight games of 100+ yards and 2 TDs to close the season. Snell earned 1st-team All-SEC and 3rd-team All-America recognition.
Film review:
Games watched: Georgia, Florida, Tennessee (2017), Georgia (2017)
As you might have assumed from his 76th-percentile weight for the position, Snell wins on power more than anything else. Here are 3 examples from the 2017 clash with Georgia …
But the Kentucky workhorse also displays good hands for his position.
Combine that with a decent #33 ranking in pass-blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus this past season, and Snell has a shot to stay on the field in passing situations with the right team.
But that’s about it for him. The solid 3-cone and broad-jump results for a guy his size don’t translate to above-average agility in the games I watched -- which makes sense, given that the testing results weren’t above-average for the position.
Like plenty of other players in this class, Snell’s a fine runner but not a special prospect.
Fantasy outlook:
Snell’s best bet for fantasy value looks like a goal-line role in a backfield committee. His pass-catching ability should mean spot-start upside when other RBs on his team are hurt, but Snell doesn’t look like a player NFL teams should or will count on to pilot the backfield. That makes him a later-round rookie pick.