Right away in the pre-draft process it was quite clear that the Pittsburgh Steelers had a fascination with Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton.
A few months later, that fascination paid off as the Steelers landed Benton in the second round at No. 49 overall, giving the Steelers a guy with ideal size, length, explosiveness and athleticism on an aging defensive line.
On tape, Benton made quite the impression at his size and length, dominating the competition for the Badgers. Now, he’s making quite the impression on another former Badger: Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
Appearing on 102.5 WDVE Wednesday morning, Watt praised the rookie defensive tackle, stating that the big, hulking defensive lineman moves quite well for his size overall.
“He’s been doing well. A guy that is that big—he’s kind of like Larry [Ogunjobi] in that aspect, a guy over 300 pounds that just moves so well,” Watt said of Benton, according to audio via 102.5 WDVE. “He can flip the hips, he can get after the passer, but also just jet up the field in the run game and just cause disturbances and help take the double teams off the guys in the back end, so I’ve seen positive things from him as well.”
Moving well is a big calling card for Benton at his size. That is why the Steelers were so intrigued and wanted to get their hands on him in the draft.
Benton was the prototypical Steelers-build in a college game that’s getting harder and harder to find those guys. He’s a hair under 6-foot-4 with nearly 34-inch arms and weighs in at 317 pounds.
While he’ll play nose tackle for Pittsburgh with a chief goal of stopping the run, he has a get-off and hand use to beat blocks and make plays, not just occupy space. As we noted here at Steelers Depot though throughout the pre-draft process, his athleticism is uncommon for someone with his frame and his ability to bend and turn the corner is rare. He showed those pass rush chops during the Senior Bowl, succeeding in his 1v1 rushes with a variety of moves.
If there’s one thing that we know Benton will provide in Year One, it’s size and the ability to be a presence in the trenches. Even as a rookie, Benton is the heaviest of any Steelers defensive player on the roster. He was highly regarded out of college as one of the most powerful and effective run stuffers in the nation, and the Steelers knew what they were getting when they drafted him.
Though he hasn’t quite had a chance to show off those pass rush chops in training camp so far, Benton is making a smooth transition to the NFL and is getting more and more comfortable as a professional and is showing out as a run stopper overall.
On Saturday, Benton had a big hit on RB Anthony McFarland Jr. behind the line of scrimmage on a run play. He later helped blow up a run play to Jaylen Warren with great penetration off the snap of the ball, allowing linebacker Kwon Alexander to clean up the play.
Also on Saturday, Benton had some strong showings in 1v1 pass rush drills against offensive linemen Ryan McCollum and James Daniels. Benton won against McCollum with a strong rip move and later beat Daniels with a club/swim, according to Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora. Benton capped off the strong day with a rip through Daniels to win the final rep of 1v1.
As he continues to grow and develop, Benton will get back to the player he was at Wisconsin during his career. Good news though is he’s already turning heads, including Watt’s. That means something.
