Being selected in the very last round of the NFL draft is something that even the most critical pundit didn’t foresee this for Eno Benjamin. Nonetheless, the former ASU running back, who entered the NFL draft following his junior year, will now have an opportunity to prove the doubters wrong in an environment that will have some familiarity.

The Arizona Cardinals selected Benjamin in the seventh round and the no. 222 pick overall on Saturday afternoon.

“I’m just really excited to be a part of the Arizona Cardinal family," Benjamin said following his selection. "I went to school at Arizona State, so I’ve seen what’s going on with the Cardinals as far as Coach Kliff Kingsbury and the Kyler (Murray) pieces. I’ve been watching the offense and seeing how it goes. I think I’d fit right in and I’m very excited to be a part of this team.

“I thought I’d be taken yesterday at some point during the third round. Because of that day, I was thinking today I’d get drafted pretty early. It didn’t turn out that way, but I’m forever grateful that I got the opportunity to get drafted and play the sport that I love once again. It’s just that much of an easier transition for me being able to go and move right down the road from where I played in college.”

Benjamin said that he didn't think his selection placement was purely indicative of how the NFL has a perceived low value of running backs.

"I felt like teams thought they had some more important people they needed to pick up in front of me," Benjamin explained, "and that’s what they did. I can’t be mad. Like I said, I’m just glad I got the opportunity to get drafted and play the game that I love.

“I just continued to follow interactions with my agent. It wasn’t planning out the way we were expecting it to, but at the end of the day, I knew all I needed was one shot, one opportunity. We were pretty optimistic that that opportunity would come just looking at the team as far as fit and looking at the board in what we had. Arizona ended up being the next one and I sort of got that feeling. I want to say it was the Detroit Lions’ pick before them, I just grabbed my phone and felt my phone vibrating. I knew from there the 602 number was Arizona and it gave me a good feeling right off the bat.”

The running back admitted that throughout the pre-draft process he had several interactions with the Cardinals and thus wasn't surprised to be selected by that team.

"I visited them multiple times throughout the combine process," Benjamin commented, "so I knew that it was a very legit option. Like I said, there were a few teams as far as knowing the fit and knowing where the stand as far as needing a running back that we were looking at and the Arizona Cardinals were one of them.

“I was actually just on the phone with Kenyan Drake and he was giving me some encouraging words as far as what to expect when I come in the room, welcome aboard and stuff like that. This offseason I had the opportunity to go out there and work with Chase Edmonds and run routes with him during this offseason. Also, Kyler is one of those guys that I have a pretty good relationship with I would say. Growing up kind of in the same area of Texas I’ve been able to see him play, we talk every now and then when we see each other. I think we’re going to get things going.”

The last ASU player to be drafted is the seventh round by the Arizona Cardinals is Sun Devil legend Pat Tillman something that had a profound impact on Benjamin today.

“Just knowing what Pat Tillman has done, not only for Arizona State or the state of Arizona, just even for this whole country," Benjamin said. "Just to even be mentioned in something like that. I was just told that news that he was the last Sun Devil taken. It kind of shook me to my core hearing that just knowing who is and what he’s done.”

Benjamin remarked that being recruited out of high school by then Texas Tech head coach and current Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and having a prior relationship, certainly helped in a process that was severely limited by the COVID-19 pandemic. The running back followed the teams as much as he could on Sundays, mainly because of last season's Offensive Rookie of the Year, quarterback Kyler Murry. He feels that the Cardinals' style of play could help in his transition to the next level.

"They’re a lot of spread – something that I feel very comfortable doing," Benjamin noted. "I did it in college, I’ve done it in high school. Just with the picks and pieces they’ve got going together, it looks like it’s going to really turn out to be something. Just watching them make their picks, that was something that kind of stood out to me, just kind of looking at the guys they were going after to build this team."

The former ASU running back set the school’s single-season rushing record in 2018 posting 1,642 yards posting a 5.47 yard per carry average scoring 16 touchdowns. Behind an offensive line that had two true freshman starters and a unit that largely strolled last year, Benjamin’s production dropped to 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns.

In 2019, Benjamin forced 72 missed tackles in the regular season - a total tied for 10th nationally among running backs. He was 22nd nationally with 739 yards after contact (68.2 percent of his 1,083 rushing yards).

Ball security is one issue that undoubtedly could have caused Benjamin’s NFL draft stock to tumble. In his breakout 2018 campaign the running back fumbled just once. Last season though, that figure rose to six with four lost fumbles.

Benjamin carried the ball a school-record 300 times in 2018 and compiled 253 rushing attempts in 2019, the third-highest total in program history. His 2,867 career rushing yards placed him as one of just five three-year players to find themselves in the 2,000-yard club (Mario Bates, Ben Malone, Art Malone, and Woody Green). He had 32 total touchdowns (27 rushing, 4 receiving, and 1 blocked return) in his career.

His 2,867 rushing yards in his career and finished seventh-place on the school's all-time rushing list. His 576 rushing attempts were the sixth-most in school history. Benjamin recorded 15 career games (six in 2019) with at least 100 rushing yards - good for 4th in program history. He also had 18 career games in which he reached the century mark in total all-purpose yards.

As challenging as this day, if not process has been for Benjamin, the running back said that the ASU coaching staff has prepared for everything he has and is about to encounter on the professional level.

"I think the whole coaching staff has done a really good job," Benjamin said. "That’s what they’re all about and that was the point of Herm (Edwards) building this pro class model. He wants the transition to be easy from going from a collegiate athlete to a professional athlete and so that’s a huge testament. I felt like I was really prepared for this transitioning as far as being able to get on the phone, speak to reporters face-to-face, and stuff like that. Being coached on as far as what to see what you’re looking for and things like that.”

While the debate of whether Benjamin being drafted this late is justified or not, one thing is for certain - the former ASU running back who will be etched in the Sun Devils’ history book for a long time will be beginning his NFL career with a huge chip on his shoulder.

And if that redemption tour is a successful one, the Sun Devil fans will have a front seat to witness it.

Jordan Kaye contributed to this story