NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- When you are 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds like Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, comparisons to Calvin Johnson are unavoidable.
"When I first came out of high school, they were like 'You could be a baby Megatron,'" Benjamin said. "I always looked up to him."
Like Johnson, Benjamin is a captivating physical presence. As Seminoles players filed in for media day ahead of Monday's BCS championship game against Auburn, all eyes were inevitably drawn to him.
Benjamin's hands are enormous, making it easy to see how he swallowed up a team-leading 14 touchdown receptions this season. As fellow wide receiver Rashad Greene said, "I told him, 'Man, your hands are like bigger than my whole head.'"
Add in his "sneaky speed," as Benjamin describes it, and it is easy to see why the redshirt sophomore could be the next underclassman wide receiver to join what is quickly becoming one of the deepest positions in the 2014 NFL Draft.
But that opportunity came only after Benjamin started putting together the consistency to match his abilities. Benjamin racked up 14 receptions for 341 yards and five touchdowns in his last two games -- against rival Florida and in the ACC championship game vs. Duke.
"That's something I had to grow up out of," Benjamin said. "On every play I just go hard because that post route might open up a route for Kenny (Shaw) or Rashad. It's just going out there and not playing selfish basically."
Benjamin said he, like every other Florida State player College Football 24/7 has spoken with this week, has yet to receive his grade from the draft evaluation board. Once he does, Benjamin will "talk it over as a family." Head coach Jimbo Fisher, whom Benjamin describes as a "father figure," will be included in the discussions.
With that skill set and plenty more comparisons to Johnson sure to come, Benjamin could continue his dramatic rise.
Said Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith: "And he's just now starting, so if he keeps going, there's no telling where he could up end at."
That sentiment is exactly why Benjamin will be so intriguing to scouts.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
