Coming out of the University of Wisconsin, defensive tackle Keeanu Benton was viewed as quite the athletic specimen for his size.
Early returns during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, at least according to veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, through the first two and a half weeks of Organized Team Activities, are impressive. Speaking with reporters inside the locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side Tuesday following an OTA session, Ogunjobi praised the young defensive lineman.
“I like him a lot. He’s like a dancing bear. Like, he moves really, really well for that size, and I think…the ceiling is super high for him,” Ogunjobi said to reporters, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan.
Benton is sort of like a dancing bear, moving extremely well for his size (6’4″, 317 pounds) and bringing an intriguing package of strength and athleticism to the position for the Steelers. As defensive coordinator Teryl Austin stated following the selection of Benton in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Wisconsin product is much more polished as a run defender than a pass rusher, and that shows up on tape.
Entering his rookie season an still trying to establish himself in a veteran room while earning some respect, Benton was thrilled to get a compliment from Ogunjobi like the dancing bear comment.
“That’s an honor that he said that. I feel like I am pretty agile for my size,” Benton said to reporters regarding Ogunjobi’s comments, according to audio provided by the team. “Just kind of that wrestling background that helps out a little bit, but that’s a great compliment that I got.”
While Benton may see most of his snaps at a nose tackle this season, there is potential for the second-round draft pick to move around the defensive line later in his career. For now, with players like Cameron Heyward and Ogunjobi returning there is no need for that. There is, however, need for a quality nose tackle and Benton certainly fits the bill, much like one Javon Hargrave did in recent years before leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency a few years ago.
Though he’s not the same type of athlete that Hargrave is and still needs to do quite a bit of developing at the position, especially from a pass rush perspective, Benton brings some serious athleticism to the defensive line group overall. He is certainly catching the eye of Ogujobi as well as head coach Mike Tomlin, according to a video from OTAs from the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat‘s Amanda Godsey.
Ogunjobi’s praise of Benton with the dancing bear moniker falls in line with some previous praise this offseason from CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt. He called Benton the hidden gem of the draft for the Steelers in a loaded 2023 draft class overall, and stated that Benton “made linemen look like cows on skates” throughout his tenure at Wisconsin.
