Needing an infusion of youth along the defensive line ahead of the 2023 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers targeted Keeanu Benton early on in the draft process, ultimately landing him at No. 49 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Getting the Wisconsin product into the system at nose tackle has seemingly shored up the depth in the trenches defensively, at least on paper. Based on his play in last Friday’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there might be even more there with Benton than just depth as originally expected from a rookie.
Seeing second-team reps behind Montravius Adams at nose tackle, Benton came into the game in the second quarter and largely wrecked the interior of Tampa Bay’s offensive line before exiting with an ankle injury.
Benton flashed his skills as a run-plugging defensive tackle, showing off great athleticism and explosion on the interior. He even had some pass rush chops that he broke out in the preseason opener, making for a very good night in the Steelers’ 27-17 win.
That performance certainly caught the attention of Steelers veteran defensive lineman and team captain Cameron Heyward. Speaking with reporters ahead of Wednesday’s practice, Heyward said Benton settled down last Friday and showed growth and believes he’s on the right path to being a good player overall.
“I think the strides are he is just getting more comfortable with what he is doing. You know, the first drive I felt like he was a little nervous, but then he settled down a lot,” Heyward told reporters, according to video via Steelers.com. “So, he’s just gonna continue to keep growing in that front. But Keeanu, he’s gonna go through his ups and downs, but I think for the most part, he’s gonna come [out] on the right side of this thing.”
On the night, Benton played 28 snaps and was impressive overall. It was just one showing, but there’s a lot to love with what Benton showed, especially against the run. We’ll see if that earns him more opportunities with the first-team defense, but it was quite the debut.
He has the belief from Heyward, who has seen the young nose tackle up close and in person throughout camp, and has taken him under his wing a bit, along with fellow veteran Larry Ogunjobi.
While he’ll play nose tackle for Pittsburgh with a chief goal of stopping the run, he has the get-off and hand use to beat blocks and make plays, not just occupy space. As we noted here at Steelers Depot 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. The 6-foot-4, 309-pounder 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.
He’s becoming more and more comfortable in the Steelers’ system and hit the ground running last Friday in his NFL debut. As he continues to grow and develop, the ceiling is quite high for Benton, one that could make him the future face of the Steelers defensive line, following in a long line of greats in the Steel City.
