Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
After totaling over 1,000 receiving yards in his rookie season, Benjamin missed his sophomore year with a torn ACL. He returned in 2016 and caught 941 yards and seven touchdowns. Midway through 2017, Benjamin was traded to the Bills and appeared in six games with the team. With his play continuing to decline and his effort being called into question, the team released Benjamin during the 2018 season. He subsequently signed with the Chiefs, but made just two catches in three regular season games. He did not appear in the team's playoff run and was eventually cut.
Early years
Born and raised in Belle Glade, Florida, Benjamin was born to an American mother and a Jamaican father who was deported to Jamaica when Benjamin was very young. As a middle schooler he spent half of his years in a juvenile detention center. After he got out of the juvenile detention center, Benjamin shifted his focus on football. He had to repeat both 3rd and 7th grades, however, which caused him to finish high school at the age of 20, the age at which he would be considered ineligible. Benjamin attended Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida, where he played football, basketball and ran track. In football, he played as a wide receiver. He was named First-team All-Palm Beach County by Sun-Sentinel and was selected to the Palm Beach Post All-Area First-team. As a senior, he hauled in 30 catches for 551 yards with six touchdowns, although he just played in eight games. In track & field, Benjamin competed in the jumping events. He got a personal-best jump of 1.84 meters in the high jump at the 2009 FHSAA 2A District 13, where he tied for third place. At the 2010 Glades Central Invitational, he took gold in the long jump event, recording a career-best leap of 6.48 meters (21'3").
Recruiting
Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Benjamin was ranked as the No. 7 wide receiver and the No. 60 overall player nationally in his class. Scout.com ranked him as the No. 12 receiver in the nation, while ESPN.com had him as the No. 23. According to 247Sports.com, he was the No. 13 wide receiver and the No. 89 player nationally. He chose Florida State University over scholarship offers from Auburn, Florida, Miami (FL), and Virginia Tech, among others.
College career
After being redshirted in 2011, Benjamin played in all 14 games in 2012, recording 30 receptions for 495 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 54 receptions for 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown against Auburn in the BCS National Championship with 13 seconds remaining. Sports Illustrated named Benjamin to their All-American first-team and he was also selected to the All-ACC Second-team by the coaches and All-ACC Third-team by media. After the season, Benjamin decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility to enter the 2014 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Despite forgoing two years of eligibility, Benjamin was still given a first-round grade by the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which is typically conservative with underclassmen draft entrants, and was widely considered one of the top wide receivers in the 2014 NFL Draft. Benjamin's size, physicality, and high-pointing ability drew parallels to players including Alshon Jeffery and Plaxico Burress. While many scouts were concerned about his hands and a current lack of precise route running at this point, many projected him as a first-round pick due to his potential. Benjamin was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 28th pick of the first round. NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock praised the Panthers selection of Benjamin after it occurred. "He's 6-foot-5, 240 pounds with 35-inch arms, and you're talking about a catching radius." Mayock then went on to compare Benjamin to other college wide receivers that only had one year of college production. "However, there's one thing about wide receivers with only one year of college production (like Benjamin at FSU) and it's a little sobering when you look at the names on that list: Stephen Hill, Greg Little, Devin Thomas, Anthony Gonzalez," Mayock said.