Malik
Benson.
Malik
Benson.
Oregon· 6'0"· 189 lb· 4.37s 40
R6 · #195 · Las Vegas Raiders"A pure vertical threat whose 17.0 yards per catch at Oregon and 4.37 speed finally matched the recruiting hype that followed him out of junior college — a fourth-school senior who arrived as the No. 1 JUCO prospect in the country, spent two years buried on loaded depth charts, and only in his last season showed what the top of the route tree looks like when the ball goes his way."Pre-draft read
Benson, a boundary X-receiver in spread formations, leverages a stacked release and long strides to challenge defenders. He eats cushion in three steps, showcasing a second gear 25 yards downfield to run past corners. His clean releases, favoring a shoulder-dip and outside hip stem, are effective against off-coverage but struggle versus physical press.
He tracks the ball over either shoulder, making difficult catches away from his frame on go balls and posts. While his short/intermediate route tree, especially comebacks and digs, originates from a tall, upright break, he’s a willing perimeter blocker. His return work, highlighted by an 85-yard punt return touchdown, demonstrates his straight-line burst.
The Las Vegas Raiders run a hybrid scheme with Shanahan concepts and gap/duo power run, often using spread formations and play-action to create chunk plays downfield.
Immediate impact as a punt and kick returner, with a ceiling as a situational deep threat to take the top off a defense and stretch the field on play-action.
A West Coast timing offense that demands a wide route tree and precise breaking mechanics from its receivers.
Benson's elite deep speed and return ability carve out an immediate role, but his limited route tree and struggles against press coverage temper expectations for a high-volume receiving role.
Malik Benson (Oregon) — Full 2025 Highlights
Complete 2025 season tape: vertical wins, deep-ball tracking and the yards-per-catch profile that drove the evaluation.
Steve Smith's WR Film Breakdown — Malik Benson
Route-by-route breakdown of the release package and where the speed does and doesn't create separation.
85-yard punt return touchdown vs. USC
The special-teams rep that gave him a Day 3 roster path — straight-line burst in open grass.
Malik Benson projects as a vertical threat and return specialist. Teams are investing in his straight-line speed and ability to stretch the field, with the understanding that his immediate impact may come more through special teams. His 4.37 forty time confirmed the deep speed visible on film, making him a designated shot-play option and a dangerous returner.
His college career was a winding path, starting as the top-ranked junior college recruit after setting a Hutchinson school record with 2,152 receiving yards. He then played rotational roles at Alabama and Florida State before a final season at Oregon, where he recorded 41 receptions for 696 yards and six touchdowns at 17.0 yards per catch. This production came on a low 5.9 percent snap share, indicating a high-leverage but low-volume role, rather than a primary target.
Evaluators consistently placed him in the fifth-to-sixth-round range due to questions about his play strength against press coverage and a limited route tree. The trade-off was his genuine field-stretching ability and immediate return-game value. Las Vegas selected him at pick 195, targeting his speed and special teams acumen over a starting receiver role.
- 01
Genuine field-stretching speed
His 4.37 forty shows up on tape as a second gear 25 yards downfield that turns even-leverage reps into separation.
- 02
Deep-ball tracking
He locates the ball over either shoulder without decelerating, catching away from his frame on go routes and posts.
- 03
High efficiency
He averaged 17.0 yards per catch in 2025 and posted an 82nd-percentile per-play efficiency mark within a specialized role.
- 04
Immediate return-game value
He returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown against USC, demonstrating vertical burst in open-field return work.
- 05
Proven across Power programs
He held rotational roles at Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon, adapting to different offensive systems each season.
- 01
Play strength vs. press
At 189 pounds, he struggles to beat a physical jam; corners routinely wiped out his release at the line of scrimmage.
- 02
Limited route tree
His production is concentrated on vertical stems; comebacks and digs come out of a tall break where he needs an extra step.
- 03
Late-arriving production
Before his final season, he had only 38 catches, and one 41-catch year at age 23 is a small sample size for development.
- 04
Low target share
His 5.9 percent snap share means his efficiency came in a specialized role, not as a primary or high-volume target.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.37sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 122inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.12sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.45sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Alabama | 14 | 13 | 162 | 1 |
| 2024 | Florida State | 12 | 25 | 311 | 1 |
| 2025 | Oregon | 14 | 43 | 719 | 6 |
| Career | — | 40 | 81 | 1192 | 8 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Dante MooreQB26%
- Dierre Hill Jr.RB7%
- Jamari JohnsonTE7%
#3 of 20 tracked contributors · Produced in line with his snap share · Offense explosiveness 1.34 (p85) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Honors
- No. 1 junior college recruit in the 2023 class
- Hutchinson CC career receiving yards record (2,152)
A rotational field-stretcher who plays 25 to 35 snaps, wins on play-action shots and posts a high yards-per-catch on modest target totals.
The ceiling if the vertical speed forces safety rotation and the underneath tree gets built out — a field-tilting deep threat who changes coverage math without needing high volume.
The floor if press coverage keeps erasing the release at the line and the return work never sticks — a timed-speed receiver who can't get open against NFL corners.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Las Vegas took Benson in the sixth round as a speed addition to a receiver room in transition, and his path to snaps runs through two doors: play-action shot plays where his job is to occupy a safety, and the punt return unit. That second door is the realistic one first. Day 3 receivers with one 41-catch college season do not win a rotation job on the route tree, but they can win a helmet on Sunday by taking a punt 85 yards, and that is exactly the rep on his tape that survived the pre-draft process intact. The offensive projection is narrower: a field-side X in three-receiver personnel, running go routes and deep crossers early, with the comeback and dig work as a second-year assignment rather than a rookie one.
The evaluation always came down to the same question the four schools kept asking — whether Benson was a receiver with real speed or a sprinter playing receiver. Alabama and Florida State never found the answer, and Oregon only got a partial one: efficient, explosive, and rarely targeted. If the release package catches up to the speed, the sixth-round grade will look like a bargain, because everything downfield is already professional. If it doesn't, the specific flag that pushed him to 195 — no answer for a corner who is allowed to touch him at the line — is the flag that ends the career, and the return game becomes the whole job.