ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪt, spˈoːɹts hɪstˈoːɹiən, ɹˈaɪɾɚ, stˌæɾɪstˈɪʃən, ænd ˈɑːɹkaɪvˌɪst ʃˈɔːn lˈɑːmən hæd bˈɛntən ɹˈæŋkt æz fˈɪfti fˈoːɹθ bˈɛst wˈaɪd ɹᵻsˈiːvɚɹ ɪnðə hˈɪstɚɹi ʌvðɪ ˌɛnˌɛfˈɛl ɪn hɪz ɐwˈɔːɹdwˈɪnɪŋ bˈʊk "ðə pɹˈoʊ fˈʊtbɔːl hɪstˈɔːɹɪkəl ˈæbstɹækt slˈæʃ ɐ hˈɑːɹdkoːɹ fˈænz ɡˈaɪd tʊ ˈɔːltˈaɪm plˈeɪɚ ɹˈæŋkɪŋz".
In 2008, sports historian, writer, statistician, and archivist Sean Lahman had Benton ranked as 54th best wide receiver in the history of the NFL in his award-winning book "The Pro Football Historical Abstract / A Hardcore Fan's Guide to All-Time Player Rankings".