Coleman Bennett, Gabriel Benyard, and Caleb Offord all signed undrafted free agent deals with NFL franchises last weekend, the most fruitful pro class in Kennesaw State program history. What are the chances the trio sticks around at the NFL level in some capacity?
Based on the numbers from Over The Cap, roughly 17% of undrafted free agents were still on active rosters by Week 1. Expanding that to include practice squads, which would be worth just under $250K for a full season’s work, the retention number rises to 43.7%. Can any of the Owls make the cut?
Offord seems like the most pro-ready prospect based on size/athletic profile but enters a crowded cornerback room in Las Vegas for new Raiders HC Klint Kubiak, who retained Rob Leonard and promoted him to DC. This is how the financial situation looks at Offord’s position.
Stokes and Porter are back after both playing 500+ snaps last year in Las Vegas. Richardson and Stokes are the other two corners from the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster in 2025. Vance got elevated from the practice squad late last season, so there is precedence for some upward mobility at the position. That list also includes drafted rookies Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) and Hezekiah Masses (Cal, though most of his career was at FIU). McCoy slid to the fourth round amid concerns about a surgically repaired knee that might require an additional procedure and leave his 2026 season in jeopardy. That could be a major factor in Vegas signing Offord, who’s also a willing tackler that could play a role on special team.
Everything I’ve read out of Chicago writes down D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai in sharpie as RB1 and RB2. Past that, the outlook gets a little cloudy, with a lot of buzz that Roschon Johnson’s spot may be up for grabs. You’d expect the Bears to carry 3 active running backs again, plus a practice squad slot.
Chicago brought in 13 UDFA so far, with Bennett as only running back signee. Hawaii’s Chris Vaughn did receive a mini-camp invite, plus last year’s practice squad RB Brittain Brown is still in the mix. One factor that could help Bennett: He’s got experience without the mileage of being an every-down feature back for most of his career. Bennett took a fair amount of on-site visits during the pre-draft process, so even if the RB3/practice squad competition goes a different way, he’ll have some interest teams ready to bring him in for an opportunity.
In Buffalo, Benyard will duke it out with a couple fellow undrafted wideouts - Kentucky’s Ja’Mori Maclin and Youngstown State’s Max Tomczak - vying to make the Bills’ roster. Both are 5’11'“ ish and in the 185-195 range, giving them similar builds as Benyard. On the Buffalo roster, here’s how the wideout situation currently looks after drafting Skyler Bell (UConn) at 125 overall.
I listened to a little bit of Joe Brady’s post-draft presser, and he stressed the ability for his wideouts to play with versatility in the slot and out wide while talking about the Bell draft pick. Brady didn’t mention the KSU product by name, but Benyard divided his WR reps at a 58/42 split last season, his only full year at the position. Add in his potential value in the return game and you can see why the Bills called.
If Offord’s the best immediate prospect and Bennett has the best chance to make the active roster, where does that leave Benyard in the superlatives? He’ll have the longest road to make a roster this season but can probably still claim the highest ceiling. A practice squad assignment refining his WR skills could do wonders for a player who only played one real college season at the position.
2022: Flexbone RB
2023: Split time between RB/WR in a four-game redshirt season
2024: Full-time wideout, but injured for much of the season and only played ~250 snaps
2025: First team All-CUSA, over a thousand all-purpose yards
Spend some time practicing and lifting in a pro environment, then see some live action in UFL next spring — that could be an ideal setup for Benyard to reach his ceiling.
Who could be next up to get an NFL call after this season? For this thought exercise, I’m only considering players who will finish their career in Kennesaw this fall. There are enough dudes on the roster who will get a shot eventually, but if the pro potential flashes prior to the eligibility clock winding down, the safe bet is that most guys will find a new home in the transfer portal. The P4 staffs are evaluating the portal in a similar fashion as pro front offices, and that could mean we end up seeing NFL looks from more one-year Owls than multi-year contributors.
That also means that fourth-year seniors Zion Booker, Brayden Munroe, Triston Morgan, and Jaiden Crawford are likely off the table, as these incoming transfers appear poised to grab an extra year of eligibility in the wake of the 5-for-5 revamp of the NCAA rules. You could’ve made a case for all four to be the next one-and-done UDFA guys from the portal, like Offord or Bennett.
I also tried to avoid the trap of just listing every good player and focused on the pro outlook. On that note, I’d put Marcus Patterson and Baron Hopson in the honorable mention category. Both senior leaders would be in the mix with productive final seasons and testing numbers above the floor at their respective positions. Patterson needs more pass rush wins to prove he’s not caught between positions and will get more late-down reps on the edge with freshman phenom Elijah Hill in the Big XII. Hopson will be hard to ignore if he stays healthy and posts another 100+ tackle season.
My best guesses a year out:
Multiple people within KSU’s football building have gone on record calling Kody Jones the fastest player in the program. If he follows another full year starting at nickel by going low in the 40, 3-cone, etc., the former Michigan Wolverine could make it two straight years that a KSU DB earns a pro opportunity. Five Hamilton took a lot of passing down reps last year, so Jones could have even more opportunity to prove himself in slot coverage this fall.
Assuming he takes over for Josiah Chenault at center, Mateo Guevara will rack up more than 2,500 career FBS snaps over four seasons of action. Size-wise Guevara’s right in line with this year’s drafted centers (6’4”, 312) and has played all three interior positions at times. That line of thinking could also give do-it Luka Duska a shot if the Elon transfer starts up front this fall.
If one of the bigger transfer DBs - Perry Fisher or Jecari Bryson - ends up starting or becoming Marc Mattioli’s go-to choice at big nickel/SAM linebacker in certain packages, they’ll show enough versatility to get a shot at making a league increasingly built on hybrid defenders. As important as the safeties are in Mattioli’s defense, you could talk me into Alex Ford and Cam Miller if either ends up starting this season.
