Strong Performance Against Bengals Puts Keeanu Benton Back Inside PFF’s Top 15 Highest-Graded Rookies

Over the last few weeks, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive lineman Keeanu Benton has been rather quiet.

Some may have wondered if he was hitting a rookie wall, which is a reasonable question considering the position he plays and the workload he’s had this season with more than 400 snaps entering Week 16.

But then, thanks to his performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, Benton ended any questions about a potential rookie wall, putting up his highest-graded performance of the season from Pro Football Focus, thrusting him back among the 15 highest-graded NFL rookies this season.

Against the Bengals, Benton graded out at an 89.8 overall, including a 68.8 as a run defender and an 85.9 as a pass rusher. He generated two pressures in the win and now has 19 total pressures on the season.

That 89.8 overall grade put Benton at No. 15 of grades for all rookies from PFF.

“Benton jumped back into the top 15 with an incredible outing in Week 16, which resulted in his highest-graded game of the season (89.8). Benton recorded two pressures but won 26.7% of his pass-rushing snaps,” PFF’s Mason Cameron writes regarding Benton’s performance against the Bengals. 

Benton played just 24 snaps against the Bengals, but they were strong snaps. He had just six snaps against the run, but saw 18 snaps as a pass rusher, an area he’s thrived in throughout the season.

In fact, his overall PFF grade on the year as a pass rusher is an impressive 78.6, which is rather eye-opening considering the Steelers believed he was a ready-made run defender coming out of Wisconsin but needed to develop some as a pass rusher. Seems to be the reverse, at least right now, for Benton.

As a run defender, he holds just a 62.0 grade on the year, which combined with his pass-rush grade gives him a 77.2 grade on the season from PFF, putting him behind San Francisco rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown in 14th at 77.9. He’s the third-highest graded rookie defensive lineman in the NFL, too, behind Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter (87.8) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Kobie Turner (78.4).