Benjamin St-Juste

Benjamin St-Juste
refer to caption
St-Juste with the Washington Commanders in 2022
No. 25 – Washington Commanders
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1997-09-08) September 8, 1997 (age 27)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Cégep du Vieux Montréal (Montreal)
College:
NFL draft:2021 / round: 3 / pick: 74
CFL draft:2021 / round: 6 / pick: 52
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2024
Tackles:197
Sacks:3
Pass deflections:34
Interceptions:1
Forced fumbles:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Benjamin St-Juste (/seɪntˈdʒuːst/ saint-JOOST;[1] born September 8, 1997) is a Canadian professional football cornerback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Montreal, he played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and Minnesota Golden Gophers. St-Juste was selected by Washington in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early life

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St-Juste was born on September 8, 1997, in Montreal, Canada, to a Haitian father and French-Canadian mother.[2] He grew up speaking French and Haitian Creole before learning English at Cégep du Vieux Montréal.[3][4] St-Juste played ice hockey as a youth, later taking an interest in American football because of his father Wilbert, who was a member of the 1989 Miami Hurricanes football team but broke his leg in preseason camp.[5]

College career

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St-Juste attended various college football camps in the United States in the mid-2010s, and was offered a scholarship to play for the Michigan Wolverines under Jim Harbaugh.[3][6] He played in 12 games for the Wolverines as a freshman in 2017, but redshirted as a sophomore the following year due to a hamstring injury.[7] He graduated from Michigan in two years with a bachelor's degree in sports management and transferred to the University of Minnesota as a graduate student in 2019.[2][3] St-Juste played in 18 games and had 59 tackles in two years for the Minnesota Golden Gophers before finishing his collegiate career.[8] He was invited to the 2021 Senior Bowl, where he recorded a tackle.[9]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in
(1.91 m) 		202 lb
(92 kg) 		32+5⁄8 in
(0.83 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.52 s 1.57 s 2.65 s 4.01 s 6.63 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		 11 reps
All values from Pro Day[10][11][12]

St-Juste was selected by the Washington Football Team in the third round (74th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft, in which they took St-Juste with one of the two picks they acquired in a trade that sent Trent Williams to the San Francisco 49ers.[13] He was also selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the sixth round (52nd overall) of the 2021 CFL Draft shortly after.[14] St-Juste signed his four-year rookie contract with Washington on May 13, 2021.[15] He made his NFL debut in the opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers, where he recorded four tackles, but also allowed six catches in a 20–16 loss.[16] He was placed on injured reserve in December 2021 due to lingering issues from a concussion.[17]

St-Juste moved from outside corner to the slot for the 2022 season.[18] He was moved back to outside corner following the benching of William Jackson III in Week 5.[19] With 35 seconds remaining in Thursday Night Football and the Chicago Bears on fourth and goal, St-Juste made a key stop pushing wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who caught the pass, out of the endzone before Mooney's feet landed on the field and sealed the Commanders' 12-7 victory.[20] In Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, he deflected a touchdown pass attempt from Kirk Cousins which cornerback Danny Johnson intercepted.[21] The following week's victory over the then undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, St-Juste forced wide receiver Quez Watkins, after catching a 50-yard pass, to fumble the ball allowing safety Darrick Forrest to recover it.[22] On January 6, 2023, he was placed on injured reserve.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Juiced up! Ben St-Juste on transitioning to the NFL. YouTube. October 30, 2021. Event occurs at 7:46. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b Greder, Andy (October 10, 2019). "Benjamin St-Juste takes winding road: Montreal to Michigan to Gophers". TwinCities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Kryk, John (April 27, 2021). "Kryk's Canadian NFL Draft profile: Benjamin St-Juste of Montreal". Toronto Sun.
  4. ^ Ryan, Megan (October 11, 2019). "Gophers land a hidden Canadian gem in Michigan transfer Benjamin St-Juste". Star Tribune.
  5. ^ Greder, Andy (April 27, 2021). "With NFL next, Gophers' Benjamin St-Juste tries to pave way for other Canadians". bemidjipioneer.com. St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Wenzel, Matt (May 12, 2016). "Benjamin St-Juste goes from unknown Canadian commodity to Michigan commit". MLive.
  7. ^ Hartman, Sid (November 21, 2019). "French Canadian Benjamin St.-Juste followed a unique path to starting for Gophers". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "Canadian Benjamin St-Juste showing NFL scouts he can play CB, safety". SportsNet.ca. The Canadian Press. February 8, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  9. ^ Burns, Ryan. "What They're Saying: Minnesota CB Benjamin St-Juste at the Senior Bowl". 247 Sports. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  10. ^ "Benjamin St-Juste Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  11. ^ "Benjamin St-Juste, Minnesota, CB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Benjamin St-Juste 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Afseth, Grant. "Washington Football Team Picks Minnesota CB Benjamin St. Juste - NFL Draft". SI.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Argos welcome 2021 CFL Draft class". Argonauts.ca. May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  15. ^ Stackpole, Kyle (May 13, 2021). "Washington Signs 2021 Draft Class". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  16. ^ Greder, Andy (September 13, 2021). "Gophers in the NFL: Ben St-Juste endures tough debut; Ryan Santoso makes first points". TwinCities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Trotta, Jerry (December 5, 2021). "Here's why Benjamin St-Juste landing on IR isn't a significant loss". RiggosRag.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Morales, PJ. "Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste slides to slot for Year 2". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  19. ^ Paras, Matthew (November 11, 2022). "Commanders trust steadily improving St-Juste with toughest assignments". Commmanders.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  20. ^ Fortier, Sam (October 14, 2022). "Inside the defensive stand that sealed the Commanders' win over the Bears". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  21. ^ Selby, Zach (November 6, 2022). "Instant Analysis Commanders fail to overcome mistakes in 20-17 loss to Vikings". Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  22. ^ Selby, Zach (November 15, 2022). "5 takeaways from the Commanders' upset win on Monday Night Football". Commanders.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Selby, Zach (January 6, 2023). "Commanders place Saahdiq Charles, Benjamin St-Juste on IR". Commanders.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
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