If the first five weeks of the season are any indication of the future for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, they are in for quite the career in Pittsburgh.
After being drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft at No. 32 overall and No. 49 overall, respectively, Porter and Benton have emerged as strong rotational players for the Steelers while pushing for more playing time and, potentially, starting roles in their rookie seasons.
Seeing extra snaps due to star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward landing on Injured Reserve after Week One following groin surgery, Benton has taken advantage of the increased playing time, more than earning a role for the Steelers not only now, but presumably moving forward.
He’s flashed as a pass rusher and continues to improve each and every week as a run defender. That is exactly what you want to see from a young piece like Benton adjusting to the speed and physicality of the NFL game.
Watching him weekly, it’s no surprise to see that he’s one of the 10 highest-graded rookies through the first five weeks from Pro Football Focus.Â
Benton’s overall grade of 78.3 has him sitting in 10th, just 1.4 points behind a three-way tie in seventh from Detroit defensive back Brian Branch, Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Denver wide receiver Marvin Mims.
“Through five games, Benton has proven to be a quality run defender on the interior, earning a 72.0-plus run-defense grade in three of his five contests. He had one of his best days in that regard in Week 5, earning a positive grade on over 23% of his run-defense snaps without a single negative grade,” PFF’s Mason Cameron writes regarding Benton through the season’s first five weeks.Â
Coming out of Wisconsin, Benton was considered a ready-made run defender for the NFL. He’s struggled at times in that department but truly flashed as a pass rusher, showing things he never really showed on tape in college. As a pass rusher, Benton grades out at a 75.5 and has five pressures and a sack on 74 pass rush reps, adding another seven true run stops on just 66 run defense reps, grading out at a 69.2 against the run.
He’s shown some serious power at times as a pass rusher and flashed real explosiveness, which is quite encouraging moving forward as he looks like the next building bock in the trenches for the Black and Gold defensively. In fact, he’s the second-highest graded rookie defensive lineman on the year, behind only Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter.
Then, there’s Porter. The Penn State product took advantage of playing time in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens, picking off a pass in the end zone to help the Steelers come back for the 17-10 win, grading out at a 91.3 in 28 snaps against Baltimore.
That mark pushed Porter into the top 10 highest-graded rookies at No. 5 overall, surpassing corners drafted ahead of him like New England’s Christian Gonzalez and Seattle’s Witherspoon. Porter currently holds an 81.9 overall grade from PFF.
“Porter may have been limited over the first month of the season, but that all changed this past week, and he did not disappoint,” Cameron writes regarding Porter for PFF. “The Penn State standout had a phenomenal day in coverage, earning a 91.4 grade — the week’s highest grade at the position — finishing with an interception on his only target in coverage.”
Simply put, Porter was outstanding in Week Five. The highest grade at the position in the NFL, not just among rookies, proves that.
He played the fade route to Odell Beckham Jr. in the end zone perfectly. Undercutting the throw and picking off the pass, he set Acrisure Stadium into a frenzy. Porter more than held his own on the 27 other snaps in the game, seeing an increase in playing time in the fourth quarter when the Steelers seemingly benched veteran Patrick Peterson in base defense for the rookie.
Porter has played in just 86 snaps on the season, but he’s held his own when on the field. On seven total targets through five weeks, Porter has allowed just one reception for 12 yards, adding the interception and a pass breakup on the season.
Hopefully Sunday’s strong showing against the Ravens leads to more playing time for Porter and Benton. They’ve shown they can handle an increase in playing time and be quite impactful doing it.
