Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Benjamin joins a position group that features Kenyan Drake, Chase Edmonds and fellow Sun Devil D.J. Foster, and he should be immediately comfortable in the Cardinals backfield.
Benjamin talked to Drake minutes after being selected and worked out with Edmonds earlier this offseason. He is also friends with quarterback Kyler Murray as they are close in age and both grew up in the Dallas area.
"I think I fit right in," Benjamin said.
Benjamin's statistics fell from 2018 to 2019, as he went from 5.5 yards per carry as a sophomore to 4.3 as a junior. At 5-foot-9 and 207 pounds, his size may have contributed to the draft slide, but the Cardinals felt lucky to select him with their final choice.
"A guy that we thought would go much higher, so the value in the seventh round, and a player that can do a number of things for you -- we're really excited about him," General Manager Steve Keim said.
It was the third year in a row the Cardinals took a player with Arizona ties. In 2018, it was wide receiver Christian Kirk, who played at Saguaro High School. Last year, it was cornerback Byron Murphy, who also played at Saguaro.
Benjamin joins Foster, kicker Zane Gonzalez and offensive lineman Sam Jones as Arizona State players on the Cardinals. Quarterback Brett Hundley and outside linebacker Devon Kennard are also from Arizona.
"Arizona is my home, and I can't tell you how proud it makes me to take Arizona State players and Arizona local kids (like) Byron Murphy," Keim said. "It just feels special to me."
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