MICHAEL BENNETT
By: Dave-Te' Thomas

#29-MICHAEL BENNETT University of Wisconsin Badgers 5:09.7-204

ANALYSIS
Positives... Outstanding athlete with world class speed...Has cat-like quickness and exceptional balance through the holes...Explodes through the seams and has that quick sidestep that consistently makes defenders miss...Patiently waits for blocks to develop, using his sharp change-of-direction skills to fluidly turn the corner...Runs at a good pad level, showing powerful leg drive up the middle...Does not shy away from contact running through traffic...Has a forceful stiff-arm to keep defensive backs in check...Runs low to the ground and keeps his shoulders squared...Much like the Rams' Marshall Faulk in his cutback ability and lateral agility...Displays excellent stop-&-go action and the vision to set his blocks up well....Has very quick feet, shortening his stride and showing superb spin ability...Lowers his shoulders and drives forward aggressively... Shows smooth pick-&-slide agility, displaying moves to freeze defenders in one-on-one situations.

Negatives... Will hit the line and stop, at times, resulting in lost yardage...Hands are very suspect, thus the reason that he was never involved in the team's passing game...Also needs to be more crisp in his route-running (almost seems as if he's too reluctant to be any way involved in the passing game)...Makes passive attempts as a blocker and overextends when trying to seal off the blitz...Seems to run out of gas late in games, making his stamina questionable...Needs to protect the ball better when running to prevent costly fumbles.

CAREER NOTES
Even though his Wisconsin career was relatively short (two years), he will long be remembered as one of the fastest players to ever wear a Badgers uniform... This world class track man displayed electrifying moves on the field in 2000, making Wisconsin fans marvel at his blazing speed and tackle-breaking power...Even though he has only ten games as a starter under his belt, he ranks tenth on the school's all-time rushing list with 1979 yards...Carried 367 times (5.4 avg) with 15 touchdowns...Only caught five passes during his career.

REMIND ME OF... Former Miami Dolphin great Mercury Morris.

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL... If I am looking for a big-play artist, Bennett's my man, but I have serious reservations about his overall ability. He only comes to play for 30 minutes per game (thus being dubbed Mr. Viagra by yours truly for his tank running out of gas quickly) and has suspect hands, but oh, that sudden speed of his! I would've gone for the Deuce over Bennett, but I am judging this position on my long-range outlook and feel that Bennett is a boom or bust type worthy of seeing if he can explode upfield rather than explode on the sidelines.

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