Friday night was a good one for the Pittsburgh Steelers overall. There were some negatives, including injuries, but they were successful, and they also got long exposure to some of their key young players. While some offensive standouts were attention-grabbing, head coach Mike Tomlin also took a moment to single out two rookie defenders for some plaudits.
“Calvin Austin [III], Ant[hony] Mc[Farland Jr.], [Nick] Herbig on defense, [Keeanu] Benton on defense were young guys that I thought stood out”, he said in his post-game remarks last night following Pittsburgh’s 27-17 victory, via the team’s website.
We talked about Tomlin’s praise for WR Calvin Austin III and RB Anthony McFarland Jr. last night already, complimenting them for showing that their game is much more than just speed. But Herbig and Benton, the Steelers’ two draft picks out of the Wisconsin program this year, took command of the defense after the starters.
The Steelers selected Benton 49th overall in the second round, and with each successive opportunity to make an impression, it seems increasingly likely that he will have a role of reasonably significant size early on.
Officially, he was credited with three tackles, including two for lost yardage, the first one a split tackle with Isaiahh Loudermilk, another Wisconsin Badger, for a loss of 1. Late in the game he paired with Armon Watts for a loss of 3. All three of his tackles were run stops.
As for Herbig, the fourth-round outside linebacker, he was credited with three total tackles, of which two were sacks. He split one with DeMarvin Leal, the other one being all his own for a loss of 6 yards. He showed well on the pass rush coming off the edge throughout the night, yet for the rookies’ promise, it’s still just the beginning.
“There’s a lot of teaching and learning that needs to happen based on the result of what just happened”, Tomlin also said after the game in follow-up comments after praising some of his young players. “It just is. I think it’s reasonable to expect us to be significantly better next week”.
It’s notable that Herbig was dealing with a hip flexor injury going into this game that robbed him of valuable practice time. Nobody was certain that he would even play—indeed, at least one outlet prematurely ran an article declaring that he was not, which was quietly scrubbed.
Both Benton and Herbig were arguably the most active players at their respective positions on the night, which is really exciting for a start, but there is still a long way to go. They definitely looked like guys who will be playing on Sundays in September, though.
