Benjamin St-Juste

Benjamin St-Juste (/seɪntˈdʒuːst/ saint-JOOST;[1] born September 8, 1997) is a Canadian gridiron football cornerback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Montreal, he moved to the United States to play college football at Michigan and Minnesota before being drafted by Washington in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

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
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 7, 2023
Tackles:103
Sacks:2.0
Pass deflections:19
Interceptions:1
Forced fumbles:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life and college career

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]

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
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench 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 s1.57 s2.65 s4.01 s6.63 s34.5 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
  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. Greder, Andy (10 October 2019). "Benjamin St-Juste takes winding road: Montreal to Michigan to Gophers". TwinCities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. 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 (27 April 2021). "With NFL next, Gophers' Benjamin St-Juste tries to pave way for other Canadians". bemidjipioneer.com. St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  6. Wenzel, Matt (May 12, 2016). "Benjamin St-Juste goes from unknown Canadian commodity to Michigan commit". MLive.
  7. Hartman, Sid. "French Canadian Benjamin St.-Juste followed a unique path to starting for Gophers". Star Tribune.
  8. "Canadian Benjamin St-Juste showing NFL scouts he can play CB, safety". SportsNet.ca. The Canadian Press.
  9. Burns, Ryan. "What They're Saying: Minnesota CB Benjamin St-Juste at the Senior Bowl". 247 Sports. Retrieved 9 May 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 3 May 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 (13 September 2021). "Gophers in the NFL: Ben St-Juste endures tough debut; Ryan Santoso makes first points". TwinCities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  17. Trotta, Jerry (5 December 2021). "Here's why Benjamin St-Juste landing on IR isn't a significant loss". RiggosRag.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  18. Morales, PJ. "Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste slides to slot for Year 2". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 July 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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