Many pundits anticipated Benny to go in Round 3 or 4, making his seventh-round selection a huge get for the Ravens. The Athletic’s Dan Bruger ranked Benny as his 12th-best defensive tackle.
Benny has the potential to join the Ravens’ defensive line rotation as a rookie regardless of Nnamdi Madabuike’s status following his reported recent neck surgery. DeCosta called Benny a “plug-and-play guy coming in right out of the gates.”
The Ravens know Benny has been well coached. He will be reunited with new Defensive Line Coach Lou Esposito, who was Benny’s position coach at Michigan, and Head Coach Jesse Minter, who was the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator for two seasons. Minter and Benny won a national championship together in 2023.
“I thought in 2023, he was our third or fourth defensive lineman,” Minter said. “We had Mason [Graham] and Kenneth Grant and Kris Jenkins Jr., and we had obviously a pretty loaded group, but he made some really key plays for us in that season.
“He got hurt in the Rose Bowl that year, and I know it affected him. I was gone after that, but I thought this year he really bounced back after kind of battling through the injury in 2024. He showed some really good stuff. He does a lot of things on tape that we like to see. He’s just a guy that’s gotten better and better. He was really raw and kind of a young player coming into Michigan, but I know he’s been well trained and well coached, and I’m excited to add Ray.”