Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, essentially, has always been one thing: That tall guy who can pull down the football.
At least, that's who he's been since his second-ever organized football game, as a sophomore at Glades Central High in Belle Glade, Fla.
"I wasn't a big sports guy (growing up)," he said. He was tall, though. And the coaches came calling.
"They kept sayin', 'You should play, you should play," so I was like, 'Aiight, I'll give it a shot.' "
Benjamin made varsity immediately despite only having the experience of playing football in the street with his friends. He doesn't remember his first game.
But the second?
"I scored two touchdowns," he laughed. "It was a lot of jump balls and basically just boxing people out."
In college at Florida State from 2012-13, it was the same thing. He was the king of the deep ball at 6-foot-5, and 248 pounds, and averaged almost 19 yards per catch for a total of 1,011 yards and 15 touchdowns his sophomore (and final) year. Then-quarterback Jameis Winston would just throw one up, he said, and knew Benjamin would be there to pull it down.
After being drafted by the Panthers 28th overall in 2014, Benjamin's role was again largely the same. He averaged almost 14 yards per catch his rookie season, and scored nine touchdowns. At the time, quarterback Cam Newton said Benjamin was a player who could "revolutionize" the wide receiver position.
Benjamin certainly produced, but revolutionize?
That takes a little more than being just "that tall guy who can pull down the football." A little something extra.
