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Kahlil Benson

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Kahlil Benson
Benson in 2023
No. 70 – Kansas City Chiefs
PositionOffensive tackle
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2002-08-30) August 30, 2002 (age 24)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight319 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High schoolSouthaven (Southaven, Mississippi)
College
NFL draft2026: undrafted
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of Week 2, 2026
Games played2
Games started2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kahlil Benson (born August 30, 2002) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers and Colorado Buffaloes.

Early life

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Benson was born August 30, 2002, in Memphis, Tennessee.[1][2] He attended Southaven High School in Southaven, Mississippi, where he competed in football and track and field.[1] In his senior year, Benson was named a team captain and earned first-team all-state honors. He was ranked as a three-star college football prospect by ESPN, 247Sports, and Rivals.com.[2][1] Benson was named the most outstanding offensive lineman out of 240 prospects who attended the Southern Elite Combine in 2019.[3] He initially committed to play college football for the Ole Miss Rebels, but following a head coaching change at Ole Miss, he instead opted to play for the Indiana Hoosiers; though considered an offensive guard prospect by 247Sports, Indiana recruited him to play offensive tackle.[4]

College career

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Benson joined the Indiana Hoosiers football team in 2020.[5] He missed the 2020 season after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament[6] during a preseason practice,[7] taking a redshirt for the season. He did not play in any games in 2021.[8] In 2022, Benson played in all 12 games, at first on special teams, but ultimately starting in five games at right guard. He started in all 12 games of 2023, now playing right tackle[2] and allowing only one sack on 424 pass attempts.[9]

After head coach Tom Allen was fired following the 2023 season,[10] Benson transferred to play for the Colorado Buffaloes,[11] stepping into a leadership role on an offensive line unit that allowed 56 sacks the previous season.[12] Benson played right tackle, right guard, and left guard in his season at Colorado,[13][14] playing in nine games with four starts while missing four games, including the 2024 Alamo Bowl, due to injuries.[15] He transferred back to the Indiana Hoosiers for the 2025 season.[16]

Initially projected to play right guard in his second stint at Indiana,[17] and despite missing spring training camp due to an undisclosed injury sustained at Colorado,[18] head coach Curt Cignetti announced Benson would start at right tackle in 2025.[19] Benson did not appear in the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores for disciplinary reasons that Cignetti called a "[v]iolation of team rules and regulations".[20][21] Indiana finished the season with a win in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship.[22]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 5+7⁄8 in
(1.98 m)		321 lb
(146 kg)		34+5⁄8 in
(0.88 m)		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		6 ft 9+3⁄4 in
(2.08 m)		5.09 s1.80 s2.94 s4.78 s7.80 s30.5 in
(0.77 m)		9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)		23 reps
All values from Pro Day[23]

Benson was not selected in the 2026 NFL draft. On May 4, 2026, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent after participating in the Chiefs' rookie minicamp.[24][25] He made his NFL debut in the Chiefs' starting lineup in the first game of the 2026 season against the Denver Broncos.[26] He played at left tackle, a position he never played in college;[27] it was the first time in head coach Andy Reid's 13-year tenure with the Chiefs that an undrafted rookie started in the first game of a season for the team.[28]

Personal life

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Benson's cousin, Kevin Elliott, played football professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL).[1]

During his time with the Colorado Buffaloes, Benson created a popular social media hashtag, #DT2, meaning "Don't Touch 2". It referred to the Colorado offensive line's commitment to protecting quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who wore jersey number 2, from opposing defenses.[29]

Benson earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder.[2] He is a member of Omega Psi Phi.[30]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "Kahlil Benson". University of Colorado Athletics. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kahlil Benson". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved November 20, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ Johnson, David (July 3, 2019). "Kahlil Benson Brings Home Top OL Honors At The Southern Elite". 247Sports. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ Thompson, Khari (February 5, 2020). "Southaven's Kahlil Benson signs with Indiana". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ Brew, Tom (February 5, 2020). "Signing Day: Indiana Adds Benson, Mayala to 2020 Class". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ Tolle, Josh (December 10, 2023). "Indiana's Kahlil Benson transfers to Colorado". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ Wallace, Dylan (October 12, 2020). "Indiana Freshman Kahlil Benson Out For Season with Torn ACL". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  8. ↑ Peery, Wade (December 8, 2023). "Indiana transfer OL Kahlil Benson announces visit to Colorado". On3.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ Cosolo, Tony (July 18, 2024). "Meet Colorado's new enforcer on the O-Line, Kahlil Benson". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  10. ↑ Glenesk, Matthew (January 4, 2025). "After a season with Deion Sanders' Buffaloes, Kahlil Benson transfers back to IU football". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ Cosolo, Tony (December 10, 2023). "Transfer offensive linemen Justin Mayers, Kahlil Benson commit to CU Buffs". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  12. ↑ Tolle, Josh (June 30, 2024). "Kahlil Benson upset over effort: "I'll be damned if we allow fifty-something sacks"". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  13. ↑ Munsterteiger, Adam (January 2, 2025). "Colorado OL Kahlil Benson enters the transfer portal". 247Sports. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  14. ↑ Carlough, Jack (January 2, 2025). "Colorado loses offensive lineman to transfer portal". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  15. ↑ Howell, Brian (January 2, 2025). "Football: CU Buffs' offensive lineman Kahlil Benson enters transfer portal". Daily Camera. Archived from the original on July 4, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  16. ↑ Weaver, Matt (January 4, 2025). "Colorado transfer O-lineman Kahlil Benson returning to Indiana". 247Sports. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  17. ↑ McMahon, Colin (April 4, 2025). "Indiana's offensive line continues to show 'progress' with three expected transfer starters". On3.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  18. ↑ Niziolek, Michael (August 29, 2025). "Who will be Indiana football's starting right tackle against Old Dominion?". The Herald-Times. Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  19. ↑ Flick, Daniel (August 29, 2025). "Kahlil Benson Wins Right Tackle Battle, Set to Start in Indiana's Season Opener". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 30, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  20. ↑ Niziolek, Michael (September 13, 2025). "Indiana football's starting offensive tackle missed the first half. Coach Curt Cignetti explains why". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on September 24, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  21. ↑ Flick, Daniel (September 13, 2025). "Why Indiana Football Suspended Starting Offensive Lineman vs. Indiana State". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 20, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  22. ↑ "Indiana 27-21 Miami (Jan 19, 2026) Box Score". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Kahlil Benson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  24. ↑ McMullen, Matt. "Chiefs Sign Three Tryout Players Following Rookie Camp". Chiefs.com. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  25. ↑ Taylor, Nate (August 14, 2026). "Rookie Benson earns shot to start at RT for Chiefs". ESPN. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  26. ↑ Skretta, Dave (September 14, 2026). "Chiefs start undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson at left tackle with Josh Simmons out in opener vs Denver". The Associated Press. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  27. ↑ Suggs, David (September 14, 2026). "Meet the Chiefs rookie signed to help Patrick Mahomes who has never played left tackle before". The Sporting News. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  28. ↑ Newell, Jesse (September 11, 2026). "The Chiefs have never started an undrafted rookie in Week 1 under Andy Reid … until now". The Athletic. The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  29. ↑ Munsterteiger, Adam (December 19, 2023). "Key member of Buffs' 2024 transfer class, OL Kahlil Benson wants to help keep Shedeur Sanders' jersey clean". 247Sports. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  30. ↑ Marshall, Christian; Love, Latif (August 5, 2026). "One fun fact about each Kansas City Chiefs player projected to make 53-man roster". Kansas City Star. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
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