Week after week rookie defensive lineman Keeanu Benton impresses for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Though Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals was very disappointing from the Steelers’ perspective, Benton was a major bright spot for the Black and Gold, both as a run defender and rushing the passer. He played just 24 snaps, but was rather impressive in those snaps, displaying serious power, athleticism and explosiveness in the trenches, opening some eyes.
His performance against the Cardinals pushed him back among the 15 highest-graded NFL rookies this season for Pro Football Focus, landing him at No. 13 overall in the rookie class.
“Benton finds his way back into this top 15 because of his fantastic ability as a run defender over the past three games,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman write. “Over that span, he’s earned an impressive 81.7 run-defense grade, the sixth highest at the position, and is one of just seven first-year defenders to earn a positive grade on more than 20% of their run-defense snaps.”
Against the Cardinals, Benton graded out at an 84, including a 74.3 against the run and a 77.0 rushing the passer. He really gave the interior of the Cardinals’ offensive line fits, especially from the slanted nose technique where he was able to get off the line quickly and shoot gaps, penetrating into the backfield to make plays.
Even when he wasn’t able to shoot through the gaps cleanly, Benton’s power was on full display, bulldozing right through blockers, controlling the line of scrimmage and really helping muddy up the interior of the defense.
That’s a continuation of the work he’s done the last three weeks.
According to PFF, Benton has graded out at 69.3 and 74.8 in Weeks 11 and 12 against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. Those two weeks included grades of 70.3 and 77.0 against the run. Benton was called a “ready-made” run defender coming out of Wisconsin, and while he’s flashed and made his mark as a pass rusher throughout his rookie season, he is coming on strong as a run defender.
Hopefully there are more snaps available for Benton in the weeks ahead. He’s played just 85 snaps the last three weeks. Pittsburgh has made it an emphasis to rotate guys on the defensive line, giving the likes of Armon Watts and Isaiahh Loudermilk snaps. Though those two have played well when given the opportunity, a player like Benton needs to be playing closer to a full-time role.
He’s making quite the impact every time on the field.
