The game of football is a young man’s game. That becomes truer and truer in the world of professional football year after year.
When it comes to team building and sustainability in the NFL, it’s key to have young players who are among the best in the game, regardless of position.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, that is the case on both sides of the football, at least according to ESPN.
In a piece from ESPN’s Matt Miller and Matt Bowen Wednesday picking the top players at each position in the NFL that are under the age of 24, the Pittsburgh Steelers saw a pair of pieces chosen.
That would be second-year wide receiver George Pickens and rookie defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, both of whom landed on ESPN’s Second Team in the under-24 piece.
Pickens, 22, finds himself behind Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, New Orleans’ Chris Olave and the New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson on the first team at wide receiver. Pickens is joined by the Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua and Minnesota’s Jordan Addison on the second team.
“In his second NFL season, Pickens hasn’t had the best supporting quarterback play, and the Steelers’ offense in general has sputtered. But he has still racked up 40 catches, 662 yards and three scores,” ESPN’s Miller and Bowen write. “He’s a dynamic deep threat who consistently wins over the top and on 50-50 balls. The 6-foot-3 Pickens is the ultimate mismatch on vertical routes when his quarterback can get him the ball.”
While the offense has been hit or miss this season, Pickens has taken a clear step forward as a receiver in his second season. Though he still struggles with creating separation at times, he’s emerged as that true big-play threat for the Steelers and really settled nicely into the WR1 role when Diontae Johnson was out of the lineup with an injury early in the season.
Pickens is still in the developmental part of his game, but he’s already a physical force, one who thrives in contested-catch situations and is a go-to target down the field for second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. He needs to see more targets moving forward to truly unlock his full potential, but there’s no denying he’s one of the best young receivers in the game, period.
Then, there’s Benton on the defensive line.
A second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Benton has burst onto the scene in Pittsburgh, becoming a key piece in the trenches for the Steelers. The Wisconsin product finds himself behind a pair of Philadelphia defensive linemen in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis on the first team. He’s joined by Tampa Bay’s Calijah Kancey, who was drafted ahead of him in April, on the second team.
“Benton has both the size (6-foot-4, 309 pounds) and upper-body power to shed blockers and find the ball. He works with positive lateral pursuit and strikes with his hands to create pass-rush opportunities,” ESPN’s Miller and Bowen write.” Like Davis, Benton isn’t going to fill up the stat sheet (one sack, seven pressures and 28 tackles), but he has shown development in his rookie season as an interior space-eater who can make plays.”
Benton has thrived against the run this season. He’s been an explosive, athletic piece on the defensive line, one who flashes each and every week on tape, making plays left and right in the run game. He was considered a ready-made run defender coming out of Wisconsin but his most impressive work has come as a pass rusher for the Steelers.
He’s flashed an impressive swim move and is able to flip his hips and get skinny to split gaps against offensive linemen. After stepping into the lineup following Cameron Heyward’s groin injury early in the season, Benton has gotten better and better by the week. He is really looking like the next great piece for the Steelers in the trenches on the defensive side of the football.
