Buy Or Sell: Keeanu Benton is the Steelers’ next Javon Hargrave.
Explanation: Javon Hargrave emerged as a rising star during his four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he became the highest-paid nose tackle in NFL history by seeking fortune elsewhere. Keeanu Benton had a fairly comparable rookie season to Hargrave back in 2016. He is a bit taller but otherwise bears a lot of commonalities with his predecessor. Many expect a breakout season for Benton in Year Two this upcoming season.
Buy:
Let’s start by framing the discussion accurately. Can Keeanu Benton become what Javon Hargrave was for the Steelers? We’re not necessarily discussing Hargrave’s career beyond Pittsburgh, although we can’t wholly ignore it, either.
And the simple answer is, yes, Benton will do for the Steelers what Hargrave did. He is a complete player with arguably even more upside. Like Hargrave, Benton succeeded in winning off the line early but had to learn how to finish plays. That is where Benton will have to take his next steps over the course of the next two seasons.
But there is little doubt that he will. “Pass Rush Win Rate” is a poisoned phrase in Pittsburgh, but the win rate is a good predictive indicator. With the frequency with which Benton beat his blockers last season, it’s only a matter of time before he learns how to finish off more plays.
By Year Three, Benton should be putting up numbers similar to Hargrave, who had 11 sacks in 2018-2019. And he already seems to be more active in the passing lanes, with two batted passes as a rookie.
Sell:
Pass Rush Win Rate is only a predictive indicator under the assumption that any player can finish plays. Some players are simply better at beating their initial blocker than they are at making the tackle. Benton and his mere one tackle for loss runs the risk of falling into that category.
And that is even assuming that he can keep up the same pace. Benton is going to face a learning curve because the opposing team now knows and has studied him. He isn’t the rookie taking people by surprise anymore. The Steelers saw the pass-rush potential in him at the Senior Bowl. But in college, Benton was a run-stuffing tackle. He can’t hide this year, so offenses will challenge him.
Plus, who is he going to have working next to him? Hargrave had prime Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. Benton has Heyward at the end of his career and Larry Ogunjobi. Benton will be good, but he will not be Javon Hargrave good.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
