Michael Bennett (defensive lineman, born 1985)

Michael Bennett, Jr. (born November 13, 1985) is an American football defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, and signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Bennett has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Early years

Bennett attended Alief Taylor High School in Houston, Texas, where he played football, baseball, and competed in track. In football, he earned first-team All-District honors as a defensive lineman in his senior year, after compiling 110 tackles and four sacks. He also earned honorable mention All-District honors as a junior. In track & field, Bennett was an standout discus thrower, with a top-throw of 45.72 meters (147 ft). In addition, he also ran a 4.79-second 40-yard dash and jumped 36.5 inches in the vertical jump.

College career

In 2005, as a freshman at Texas A&M, he made 27 tackles, including 3.5 quarterback sacks, while seeing action in all 11 games (4 starts). In 2006 he was the team's top tackler among defenders that did not start a game—he posted 27 tackles, including two sacks and 6 tackles for loss, while seeing action in every game. He also forced a pair of fumbles and batted down a pass. In 2007, he was selected to the honorable mention All-Big 12 team at defensive end after registered 43 tackles including six tackles for a loss of yardage. In 2008, Bennett played in 11 games and made 42 tackles with 12.5 for losses and 2.5 sacks.