Heath Benedict

Heath Benedict (30 June 1983 to 23 March 2008) was an American football offensive tackle. He was born in Tilburg in the Netherlands to United States citizens and grew up in Greer, South Carolina, where he first played baseball and had surgery on his pitching elbow before turning to football. He finished high school at the Peddie School in New Jersey and was rated the top football prospect in that state in 2003. He signed with the University of Tennessee but transferred to Newberry College, where he played right tackle, and he left with one semester of classes remaining to pursue a professional career. He took part in the Senior Bowl, the only Division II player to do so since 2004, and in the NFL Scouting Combine, and was considered one of the top offensive line prospects for the 2008 NFL draft. He died suddenly at his home in Jacksonville, Florida, from an enlarged heart, before the draft took place.