Larry Ogunjobi was a guest on the DVE Morning Show earlier this week, and the veteran defensive lineman shouted out some of his younger teammates for the work they’ve put in this season.
“Attention to detail. Obviously those guys are young. [Isaiahh Loudermilk’s] in, I think his third year, [DeMarvin] Leal second, Keaanu [Benton] first. So there’s some growing phases, things there, but I think they’re answering the call extremely well. They’re practicing extremely hard, they wanna learn, they wanna be great. I think it’s one of those things, football isn’t one of those sports that can just click automatically,” Ogunjobi said. “You have to get in the fire a couple of times. You have to see it. You have to feel it. I think those guys are really accepting the challenge with open arms, and I’m excited to see their growth and development,” Ogunjobi said.
With DL Cameron Heyward sidelined after having surgery on a sports hernia injury, the impetus for the younger members of Pittsburgh’s defensive line became that much more important. Loudermilk had a solid preseason to secure a roster spot, something that wasn’t easy given the amount of defensive line depth in Pittsburgh, and he’s played 45 snaps thus far through two games. This is a make-or-break year for him in Pittsburgh, and he’s going to be a guy the Steelers rely on over the next few weeks to help replace Heyward.
Leal was a bit of a tweener, with the team playing him both on the defensive line and off the edge during his rookie year last season, but so far he’s stuck as defensive line depth this year. He’s an intriguing player, a former third-round pick out of Texas A&M, and he’s made an impact so far this year.
He has six total tackles and had a sack in Pittsburgh’s win over the Cleveland Browns, and he’s a guy who could really grow in this Steelers defense. It’s hard to find a bright side to Heyward’s injury, but Leal potentially getting more run could help his development and make him a better piece long-term, so if there’s anything positive to come out of the injury, it’s the potential development by Leal.
Benton is a guy who’s really flashed through two games so far, looking like the player the Steelers thought they were getting when they drafted him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He has a 66.5 PFF grade, and he has five total tackles in 57 snaps for the Steelers thus far. He’s shown off some pass-rush juice as well, and while he hasn’t registered a sack, he has a very impressive 75.1 pass-rush grade on PFF. He’s a building block for this Steelers defense.
The Steelers have been known for being a team reliant on homegrown talent, but this year they have one of the lowest percentages of homegrown talent on their NFL roster. With guys like Leal and Benton looking like they’re developing nicely and Loudermilk having the potential to hold onto a depth role, the Steelers could get back to being the draft-and-develop factory that they’ve been in past years.
