Three years is a good enough sample to determine what a player can offer in the NFL. For Steelers running back Benny Snell, the answer is no big deal.
I honestly didn’t understand the hype about Benny Snell coming out of Kentucky. Fans went wild when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Snell in the 4th round of his 2019 NFL Draft. They saw Snell break through his SEC defense and thought he had a chance to become a mainstay for the Steelers.
I have never been impressed with him. He was running young and productive back in college, but I wasn’t a fan of that trait.Snell said at the 2019 NFL Combine he ran 4.66 40-yard dashes and 29 1/ It was two inches vertical and had very subpar athleticism overall. This lack of speed and explosiveness was not the recipe for success.
In his first three seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Snell passed the ball for just 892 yards 255 times, according to Pro Football Reference. I carried Additionally, he has appeared in just his 15 receptions in his three seasons in the NFL.
Some predicted that Snell would improve last year as he came off the bench and occasionally spelled Nagy Harris. This was not the case at all. The 2021 season was Snell’s worst season yet. In fact, he recorded at least his 20 carries last season, finishing near the bottom of the league in terms of efficiency, according to Football Outsiders.
Much of the same was seen in the first half of the 2022 Steelers training camp. Despite getting a top-team rep as Harris returned from a minor foot injury, Snell didn’t stand out at all. Meanwhile, Anthony McFarland and undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren are much better in camp.
Snell shouldn’t be guaranteed to be on Steelers roster
Many predict that Benny Snell’s spot on the Steelers roster is already secured. I don’t know if I can say that, but the fact that he was given a lot of chances on the starting offense during his camp in Steelers training shows that Pittsburgh have plans to keep him. increase. But should it?
We know that the Snell was used a lot in special teams last year (326 Snaps to be exact). It’s this usage that makes him a rock for another spot this year. On offense, however, he offers nothing that alternative-level running backs can’t, and his efficiency has been near the bottom of the league over this period.
Snell continues to appear to be running slow and slow in the Steelers’ training camp, but there are at least two backs who are far more impressive. Anthony McFarland really caught my eye at Latrobe this year with his bursts, twitches and top-end speed. I think he did his best in camp so far, both as a runner and as a receiver.
Meanwhile, undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren really stands out for his vision and ability to hit holes hard and run through tackles. At 5’8″ and 215 pounds, he’s a low center of gravity and gritty he’s an RB. The Warren doesn’t have the top-end speed of the Elite, but it’s still noticeably quicker and quicker than the Snell.
Ultimately, the decision to keep Benny Snell until the final year of his rookie contract probably comes down to his ability to contribute to special teams. I like something
Personally, I would like to finish the Benny Snell experiment. He hasn’t offered anything special offensively in his first three seasons, and 2022 will be no different.
