Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny selected by Baltimore Ravens in 7th round of 2026 NFL Draft

Michigan Wolverines football defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny has been selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the No. 250 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

He’s the sixth Wolverine to be chosen this year, joining Derrick Moore, Marlin Klein, Jaishawn Barham, Jimmy Rolder and Max Bredeson.

The 6-foot-3, 296-pound Detroit native is a former four-star recruit spent five seasons at Michigan. He won three Big Ten championships and a national title during his time in Ann Arbor, and his senior class (2021 recruiting haul) is the winningest in school history, finishing with a 48-8 record over four seasons. Since he stayed for his fifth year, Benny ended up with a 57-12 mark in college.

Benny appeared in 54 games with 15 starts in his career, first backing up high-end draft picks Mazi Smith, Kris Jenkins, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and then becoming a full-time starter in 2025, helping the Wolverines post a 9-4 record.

Benny is the fifth Michigan defensive tackle to be taken in the NFL Draft since 2023, joining Smith in 2023 (first round to the Dallas Cowboys), Jenkins in 2024 (second round to the Cincinnati Bengals) and Graham (first round to the Cleveland Browns) and Grant in 2025 (first round to the Miami Dolphins).

“I played with a lot of guys, as you know, from Mason [Graham] to KG [Kenneth Grant] to Mazi [Smith],” Benny said at the NFL Combine. “I had a lot of good people to learn from, model my game after and get good coaching tips from over the past few years. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. That’s a big part of my development is me being able to be around so many great players and see what it looks like to be a first-round pick and just know what it takes.”

Last season, Benny earned third-team All-Big Ten honors, opening all 13 games, registering 35 tackles, 3 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery and 2 pass breakups.

In 2024, Benny appeared in 11 contests with two starts, coming off a severe leg injury suffered in the prior season’s Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal victory over Alabama. He recorded 29 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries and 2 pass breakups.

A key reserve on the 2023 Michigan team that went 15-0 and won the national championship, Benny played in 14 games before going down with injury, tallying 27 tackles with 5.5 for los, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble. The highlight of his season was forcing a fumble that was recovered by teammate Makari Paige on the first drive of the second half in a win at Penn State.

Benny competed in 13 contests, racking up 13 tackles, in 2022, after redshirting as a true freshman in 2021.

An Oak Park (Mich.) High product, Benny was a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 164 overall player in the 2021 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was committed to Michigan State but flipped to in-state foe Michigan on national signing day.