Former Maryland football cornerback Jakorian Bennett has been selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 104 pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Bennett joined Deonte Banks as the second Terp defensive back picked in the draft. The New York Giants took Banks with the No. 24 pick in the first round. The duo became the first pair of Maryland defensive backs taken in the same year in the common-draft era (since 1994).
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound Bennett originally started his collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College before committing to Maryland as a three-star recruit prior to the 2020 season. He played in four games that year before taking a big leap in 2021.
Bennett finished that season with 12 starts, racking up 24 tackles, 16 pass deflections and three interceptions. He also became the first Terp to record back-to-back games with an interception since Tre Watson in 2018.
The Alabama native’s final campaign featured a career-best 39 tackles, 11 pass deflections and two interceptions. Bennett was named to the PFF All-Bowl Team and the MVP of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl after his game-sealing interception. He also intercepted a pass in the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Bennett was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention in both 2021 and 2022.
The newest member of the Raiders showed off his athleticism at the combine, finishing with an athleticism score of 96, the third-best among any cornerback prospect, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Bennett joins a Las Vegas cornerback corps headlined by Nate Hobbs.
