Ben Cleveland
American football player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benjamin Keith Cleveland (born August 25, 1998) is an American professional football guard for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Toccoa, Georgia, U.S.
| No. 72 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | August 25, 1998 Toccoa, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 355 lb (161 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Stephens County | ||||||
| College | Georgia (2016–2020) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2021: 3rd round, 94th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2025 | |||||||
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Early life
Cleveland grew up in Toccoa, Georgia, and attended Stephens County High School, where he played baseball and football.[1] He was rated a four star recruit and committed to play college football at Georgia during the summer before his junior season.[2]
College career
Cleveland redshirted his true freshman season.[3] He played in all 15 of Georgia's games as a redshirt freshman and started the final five, including the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship game.[4][5] Cleveland started eight games with six games missed due to an injury in his redshirt sophomore season.[6][7] He played in 13 games with seven starts at right guard as a redshirt junior.[8] Cleveland returned to being a full-time starter at right guard in his final season at Georgia and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference and a third-team All-American by the Associated Press after starting nine games in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.[9]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6+1⁄4 in (1.99 m) | 343 lb (156 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 5.01 s | 1.77 s | 2.91 s | 4.88 s | 28.0 in (0.71 m) | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) | 30 reps | ||
| All values from Pro Day[10][11][12] | ||||||||||||
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland was selected in the third round with the 94th overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens obtained the 94th overall pick as part of the trade that sent Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs.[13] On July 20, 2021, Cleveland signed his four-year rookie contract worth $4.8 million.[14] He was placed on the active/non-football injury list at the start of training camp on July 21.[15] On October 12, Cleveland suffered a knee injury in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts and was placed on injured reserve.[16] On November 20, Cleveland was activated to the active roster from injured reserve.[17]
In Week 6 of the 2024 season against the Washington Commanders, Cleveland blocked a field goal attempt by Austin Seibert. The Ravens went on to win the game 30–23.[18]
On March 15, 2025, Cleveland re-signed with the Ravens.[19] On December 8, Cleveland was suspended for three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.[20] On January 1, 2026, Cleveland was waived by the Ravens following his suspension.[21]
Los Angeles Chargers
On January 5, 2026, Cleveland was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad.[22] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 14.[23]
Personal life
On February 12, 2025, Cleveland was arrested by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office for DUI and failure to maintain lane. According to authorities, Cleveland blew a .178 on a breathalyzer test.[24]