Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin has been compared to former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress by several scouts and fans over the course of the last several months and it looks like the potential first-round daft pick recently gave people yet another reason to make that comparison.
Gil Brandt posted on Twitter Thursday that he was told Benjamin recently blew off a workout with an NFL coach who had made special trip to see him. The reason? Benjamin apparently said he was too tired.
Kelvin Benjamin 30th in my new rankings. Was told KB recently blew off workout w NFL coach who had made special trip, said he was too tired
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 10, 2014
We have no way of knowing if what Brandt is reporting is true and it’s important to keep in mind that with one month to go until the draft, this is when you normally hear all kinds of stuff about prospects of which some is not necessarily true. If, however, Benjamin did blow off a workout exactly how Brandt reports, it surely could hurt his draft stock.
Back in 2000, Burress reportedly failed to show up for a pre draft meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles and it resulted in them taking him off their draft board because of it. Burress also reportedly passed up his first scheduled interview with then-Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, but later apologized and claimed he was slept through it because he was tired.
“I was coming in from California and I was tired,” said Burress back in 2000. “I ate and I laid down and slept right through. I called coach Cowher and explained, and he’s been great. We have a great relationship.”
The apology must have worked as the Steelers still drafted Burress with the 8th overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Much like Burress back in 2000, Benjamin has faced questions about his work ethic for quite a while. In an interview last August with the Palm Beach Post, Benjamin labeled himself “lazy,” admitting he “didn’t have a good attitude” and took “plays off” when he arrived at FSU in 2011. He apparently, however, made great strides since then to shake that label.
We will have to see how this plays out and if Benjamin or his agent comment on this recent report. The Steelers brass showed a lot of interest in Benjamin at his March Pro Day and even had dinner with him the night before the event.
