The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 rookie class has been impressive through the team’s first eight games, and through the halfway point in the season, the team has two rookies that NFL.com’s Marc Ross ranked among the top 20 in football. DL Keeanu Benton came in at No. 15 in Ross’ rankings, the same spot he held at the quarterly rankings, while CB Joey Porter Jr. enters the mix at No. 19.
Benton has served as a key piece as a rotational defensive lineman, and he was able to hold down the fort pretty well while Cameron Heyward missed two months with a groin injury. He’s been playing his best football as of late, something that Ross noted.
“Keeanu Benton’s role continues to grow as the season progresses, with the Steelers appearing to trust him more and more. He played in a season-high 44 snaps in Week 9 and has generated nine of his 14 total pressures in his last three games. He is a solid run-stopper and an improving pass rusher,” Ross writes.
Benton was really good in Week Nine against the Tennessee Titans, playing more significant snaps with DL Montravius Adams sidelined with an ankle injury for most of the game. With Adams’ status in doubt for Sunday, it could be another major opportunity for Benton to step up. He looks like yet another young defensive lineman with the potential to shine for the Steelers, following in the footsteps of Heyward, Javon Hargrave and Stephon Tuitt.
Porter’s ranking at No. 19 feels a little low, but he doesn’t have as much of a body of work as some of the others on the list. He only became a regular part of Pittsburgh’s cornerback rotation in Week Five after spending much of the early part of the season as a dime cornerback, but he has since been inserted into the starting lineup. He’s looked like Pittsburgh’s best cornerback when he’s been on the field.
“The ultra-confident cornerback is allowing just 28.6 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed through nine weeks and should continue to hold his own in marquee matchups vs. star receivers. Last week when lining up against Tennessee’s DeAndre Hopkins, Porter allowed just one catch for 17 yards on five targets. There is still room for Porter to grow, of course, but he’s shown a lot of good early,” Ross writes
Porter was recently named one of the best NFL corners through nine weeks by Pro Football Focus, so seeing his name as low it was on Ross’ rankings was definitely a surprise. But Porter still struggles a little bit with penalties, an issue of his coming out of college, and the fact that he’s played less than a lot of guys ahead of him on the list makes it understandable why he’s ranked where he is.
Both Porter and Benton have been better than advertised, and they already had high expectations as both entered the league as second-round picks. With first-round rookie Broderick Jones now looking like he’ll take over full-time at right tackle, the Steelers are hoping that their first three selections can continue to be impact players down the stretch with Pittsburgh making a playoff push.
