Bennett joined Deonte Banks as the second Maryland defensive back to be taken in this year’s draft.
Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett was drafted No. 104 overall in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bennett joined Deonte Banks, who was No. 24 overall by the New York Giants on Thursday, as the second Maryland player selected in this year’s draft. They are the first pair of defensive backs from Maryland to be selected in the same draft since Lloyd Burruss and Sam Johnson in 1981.
An unranked and generally unrecruited prospect coming out of high school, Bennett came to Maryland after two years at Hutchinson Community College, where he was a 2019 All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference first-team selection. In three years with the Terps, he established himself as one of the premier defensive backs in the Big Ten, twice earning all-conference honorable mentions.
In the 2021 campaign, he managed 16 pass breakups, the sixth most in the FBS. This past season, the Mobile, Alabama native broke up 11 passes, which led the team and was tied for the third most in the Big Ten.
“Jakorian is a guy that came back to Maryland for an extra year because he had something to prove and he took full advantage of that,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said in a release. “He developed into a tremendous player and leader during his three years as a Terp. The Raiders are getting a player that will live in the facility and work extremely hard to be an outstanding pro.”
Bennett capped off his collegiate career with a game-sealing interception in Maryland’s win in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against NC State — earning him Most Valuable Player honors — and another pick in the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
At the scouting combine, Bennett turned heads with a blazing-fast 4.30-second 40-yard dash, the second-fastest among all combine participants. At 5-foot-11, 188 pounds, his athleticism allows him to cover ground in an instant and gives him an uncanny ability to break up passes.
The Raiders allowed the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL last season.