Rayshaun Benny DL Michigan |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #26 SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/21/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.90 seconds (61%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 24.2 DOB: 05/08/2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #26 | |
| SUB-POSITION: DT 3-TECH | |
| Last Updated: 03/21/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.90 seconds (61%*) | |
| Age: 24.2 DOB: 05/08/2002 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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| Overall Rating: | 82.4 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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75% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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68% |
| Pass Rush: |
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71% |
| Run Defense: |
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90% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
5th
Overall Rank:
#156
Position rank:
#35 (DL)
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| College Games: 53 College Snaps: 1205 | ||
ESPN RATING: 80/100
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247 RATING: 91/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kris Jenkins - Michigan |
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90% |
| Jalen Redmond - Oklahoma |
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84% |
| Simeon Barrow Jr. - Miami |
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82% |
Drafted: ROUND: 7 - Pick Number: 250 (BAL)
Draft Profile: Bio
Rayshaun Benny was a consensus four-star recruit out of Oak Park High School in Michigan, where he played both offensive and defensive line. A knee injury from a car accident cost him the first five games of his senior year, but he came back and posted 32 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks in just five games to close out his prep career.Benny enrolled at Michigan in 2021 and spent his first three seasons working behind future first-round picks Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. He contributed 27 tackles and 5.5 TFLs as a junior on the Wolverines' national championship team in 2023 before breaking his fibula in the Rose Bowl against Alabama. That injury carried into the following year, and he appeared in 11 games with only two starts in 2024, totaling 29 tackles and 3.5 TFLs.
As a fifth-year graduate student in 2025, Benny finally stepped into a full-time starting role and recorded 35 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and two pass breakups across 13 starts. He earned third-team All-Big Ten honors and won Michigan's Woodley-Graham Award. Over five seasons, he appeared in 54 games with 15 starts.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Excellent run defender who holds his gap and locates the ball carrier quickly.
- Good length and accurate hand placement to stay separated from blockers at the point of attack.
- Effective two-gapper who locks out, gets his head around, and finds the runner.
- Competent arm-over move gives him a reliable counter to slip past guards in the run game.
- Decent quickness and agility for his size, useful when slanting or working laterally down the line.
- Works from blocker to blocker with active hands, staying involved through the whistle.
- Reliable tackler in space with a low missed tackle rate across his career.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Limited pass-rush toolkit beyond a bull rush; lacks counters when his initial move stalls.
- Pad level rises too often, especially on lateral movement and during extended drives.
- Narrow base and wide hand placement expose his chest to double teams and combo blocks.
- Block recognition needs work; gets caught off guard by trap blocks and down blocks.
- Only one season as a full-time starter despite five years in the program.
- Medical history is a factor: broken fibula in 2023, knee surgery in high school from a car accident.
Scouting Report: Summary
Benny is a run-first defensive tackle whose best football comes between the tackles in traditional two-gap fronts. He can hold his gap, shed blocks with his length, and make stops at or near the line of scrimmage. That skill set has real value on early downs, and his experience in Michigan's system means he understands responsibility-based defense at a high level. A team that asks its interior linemen to eat blocks and keep linebackers clean will get the most out of him.The concern is what happens on passing downs. His rush plan is thin, and he does not generate consistent pressure from the interior. Five sacks in over 1,200 career snaps tells you most of what you need to know there. He can push the pocket with effort and strength, but NFL guards will sit on his bull rush and shut him down if he cannot develop a secondary move. That limits his snap count in obvious passing situations and makes him a two-down player at the next level until he proves otherwise.
The medical history adds another layer to the evaluation. Two significant injuries across high school and college will require thorough vetting. Benny fits best as a rotational interior lineman in a scheme that values gap control over penetration. He will not be confused for a difference-maker, but his floor is a reliable backup who understands his role and plays within it. In a deep defensive tackle class, his experience and run-stopping ability should get him onto an NFL roster, though expecting much more than a depth piece would be getting ahead of the tape.
Rayshaun Benny percentiles vs other Defensive Lines (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Rayshaun Benny (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
133.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
39.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.