Jackson Bennee
Utah#63 overallDraft Movement
Down 15 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Jackson Bennee is a coverage-first safety who turned a redshirt-sophomore breakout at Utah into one of the most intriguing early names in the 2027 class. After logging just six tackles as a backup in 2024, he stepped into a full-time role in 2025 and immediately looked like a ballhawk, piling up four interceptions, five pass breakups and 103 interception-return yards with a pick-six. He grades as one of the top safeties in the early 2027 class, one better tackling campaign away from significant first-round hype. His coverage tape backs that up: he allowed only one deep completion all season, which is elite production for a defender asked to travel across the formation. Bennee lined up primarily in the slot but carries real experience as a box defender and a deep safety, giving him the positional flexibility modern nickel defenses crave. He plays with anticipation and route-jumping instincts that let him drive on the football and finish plays other safeties never get to. The takeaway juice is legitimate and repeatable, not a fluke of one hot game. What separates him from a top-15 board slot right now is tackling. He missed 23.3% of his attempts in 2025, an alarming rate that shows up in run support and open-field situations. Scouts echo the concern, noting he needs to add weight to hold up against NFL receivers, tight ends and running backs. His frame sits around 190 to 192 pounds, so there is real physical projection left before he can be trusted as an every-down enforcer. There is also a sample-size caveat: 2025 is essentially his only extended body of starting tape, and he has no verified athletic testing yet. But the traits are loud. A rangy, instinctive, versatile slot-and-deep safety with this kind of ball production is exactly the profile that rises fast if the tackling firms up. Bennee is a bet-on-the-arrow prospect, and the arrow is pointing straight up.
The Tape
Strengths
- Elite coverage production, allowing just one deep completion across all of 2025
- Genuine ballhawk with four interceptions and five pass breakups in his breakout season
- True positional versatility, with real snaps in the slot, in the box and as a deep safety
- Dangerous with the ball in his hands, racking up 103 interception-return yards and a pick-six
- Anticipation and route-reading instincts that let him drive early and finish plays
- Ascending trajectory, jumping from six tackles in 2024 to a full-time playmaking starter
- Ideal fit as a slot-coverage safety for modern nickel-heavy defenses
- Added value near the line with 4.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two QB hits
Weaknesses
- Tackling is the glaring flaw, with a 23.3% missed-tackle rate in 2025 that is the main thing capping his stock
- Needs to add weight to a roughly 190-to-192-pound frame to hold up against NFL receivers, tight ends and backs (Walter Football)
- Thin resume, with essentially one year of extended starting tape after a minimal 2024
- Run-support reliability is inconsistent given the open-field misses
- No verified athletic testing yet, so his physical profile remains unconfirmed (the only 40 time on record is a projection)
- Slot-heavy college usage means his NFL role partly hinges on scheme fit
- Projection risk as an early 2027 name who must prove the breakout is sustainable
NFL Comparison
Jalen Pitre (reasoning: versatile slot/box safety with loud ball production but real missed-tackle volatility to clean up); Kamren Kinchens (reasoning: coverage-first, instinctive safety whose interception production outpaces his tackling reliability)
College Stats
2025 (Utah): 64 tackles (43 solo, 21 assist), 4.0 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, 4 INT, 103 INT return yards, 1 defensive TD, 5 pass breakups; 2024 (Utah): 6 tackles (2 solo, 4 assist)
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $1.21M on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Utah's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
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