Adjusting to the NFL is hard, even if you come from a big-time college program. Pittsburgh Steelers rookie DT Keeanu Benton is going through that adjustment right now, but thankfully he has some mentors in DT Larry Ogunjobi and OG Nate Herbig.
Benton, while speaking with the media today, credited them with helping him refine his craft and being the best player he can be.
“On the defensive side, Larry O, just teaching me how to refine my things and kind of seeing stuff that I don’t see and how to get better at it,” Benton said in his interview, which was posted to Post-Gazette Sports’ YouTube page. And then Nate, also being an opposing person, kind of seeing where I can get him better and basically telling me this move was working, you shouldn’t have stopped it, or like, you should have went here instead of there, how to freeze my feet and stuff like that. So he kind of gives me tips and tricks on how to beat o-lineman.”
A mentor is always a good thing, and it is something of which the Steelers have a long history. Defensive linemen Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel famously mentored Cameron Heyward in his early seasons with the team, leading him to become the game-breaker he is today.
Having help from an offensive lineman is also going to be super helpful for Benton as Herbig can help Benton if he has any tells and how to counter moves. It shows the team mentality the Steelers have and Herbig, being a new acquisition, has fully bought in.
Expectations are high for Benton, but he isn’t going to hit them on his own. He needs to have help from his teammates, and he is clearly getting that. Likely starting the year at nose tackle, in a few years he will likely see starting time in sub-packages and get more opportunities to wreak havoc. But for now, he needs to refine his game, something that Ogunjobi and Herbig are helping him do.
Not only will the help Ogunjobi and Herbig are giving to Benton benefit the 2023 Steelers but also future Pittsburgh teams, even if Ogunjobi and Herbig are no longer on the roster. The Steelers’ culture still remains the same as it did years ago, and it is what makes the franchise so special.
