Travis Jayvinski Benjamin (born December 29, 1989) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Miami. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
High school career
Benjamin attended Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida, and played on the football team. He played on the state championship team as a junior and was a contributing factor to their success in the following season; finishing with eight receiving touchdowns as a senior. Was the 21st-ranked wide receiver by ESPN and 144th overall in the Class of 2008. During the 2008 Muck Bowl against rival Pahokee High School, Benjamin was covered by Janoris Jenkins and was able to make a touchdown reception.
In addition to playing football, Benjamin ran for the Glades Central track team. He competed in the 100 meters and long jump. He ran personal season bests of 10.42 seconds in the 100 meters and 6.97 meters in the long jump. He placed fourth in both the 100 meters and long jump at the 2A state meet in 2008. He also led his team to a 2A state runner-up finish in his junior year.
In 2009, Benjamin ran a season-best time of 6.40 seconds in the 55 meters at the Tom Jones Invitational. In the 60 meters, he ran a season-best time of 6.90 seconds in the preliminary round of the Texas A&M Invitational.
College career
Benjamin played college football for the Miami Hurricanes for four seasons from 2008 to 2011. As a freshman, he had 18 receptions for 293 receiving yards in 11 games. As a sophomore, he had 29 receptions for 501 yards and 4 touchdowns in 11 games. His best game came in the season opener against Florida State with four receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. As a junior, he had 43 receptions for 743 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. As a senior, he had 41 receptions for 609 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
In 2010, Benjamin joined Miami's indoor track team. He placed fourth in the ACC Championships in the 60 meters with a season-best time of 6.74 seconds. He ran the team's three fastest times on the season in the 60 meters.
Competing for the outdoor track team, Benjamin earned All-ACC honors, placing third in the 100 meters at the ACC Championships, with a time of 10.40 seconds, the fastest time of any Miami sprinter on the season. He ran the second leg of the 4 x 100 meter relay that advanced to the NCAA semifinals, that ran a season-best time of 39.57 seconds at the NCAA quarter finals, setting a school record, and placed fifth at the Penn Relays with a time of 40.35 seconds.
College statistics
Professional career
Benjamin was one of 47 collegiate wide receivers to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He tied Stanford's Chris Owusu and Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill for the best 40-yard dash time among all wide receivers at the combine. He completed the majority of drills, but skipped the short shuttle and three-cone due to a leg cramp. On March 8, 2012, Benjamin attended Miami's pro day and performed the short shuttle, three-cone drill, and positional drills. 66 team representatives and scouts from the NFL and CFL attended, including Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Benjamin was projected to be a third or fourth round draft pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 27th best wide receiver prospect by NFL.com and the 64th best wide receiver prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns selected Benjamin in the fourth round with the 100th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was the 15th wide receiver selected in 2012.
2012
On May 10, 2012, the Cleveland Browns signed Benjamin to a four-year, $2.57 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $477,000.
Throughout training camp, he competed with Greg Little, Josh Cribbs, Josh Gordon, Jordan Norwood, Carlton Mitchell, Josh Cooper, and Rod Windsor for the role as the second wide receiver. Head coach Pat Shurmur named him the fourth wide receiver behind Mohamed Massaquoi, Greg Little, and Josh Gordon.