Steelers draft Keeanu Benton with pick 49 of the NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to make waves in the NFL Draft, starting with Broderick Jones, followed by Joey Porter Jr. and now Keeanu Benton with pick 49 of the second round. Benton is a hulking defensive tackle, measuring in at the NFL Combine at 6'4 and nearly 310 pounds yet finishing in the top seven […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to make waves in the NFL Draft, starting with Broderick Jones, followed by Joey Porter Jr. and now Keeanu Benton with pick 49 of the second round.
Benton is a hulking defensive tackle, measuring in at the NFL Combine at 6'4 and nearly 310 pounds yet finishing in the top seven of all interior defensive linemen in athletic testing.
Benton hails from the same conference as current Steeler veteran and fan favorite Cam Heyward, with an athletic profile and body type that is very similar.
Bentonn is coming off his best season with the Wisconsin Badgers, recording career highs in tackles (46) and sacks (4.5). Let;s dive a little deeper into what Benton brings to Pittsburgh.
A to Z Sports Tyler Browning said the following when evaluating Benton:
Has some real flashes of good explosion, combined with his ability to gain leverage makes more a very fun player. He needs to be more consistent in this area. Very good at gaining leverage against double teams.
Dane Brugler also added the following when speaking on Benton:
A four-year starter at Wisconsin, Benton was the starting nose tackle in former defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 base scheme, also seeing snapsn over the B-gap. He averaged 36 snaps per game over his final two seasons in Madison and posted a personal-best 10 tackles for loss as a senior captain in 2022. With his push-the-pocket power, Benton consistently resets the line of scrimmage when his pad level is right and plays with the movement skills to get up and down the line of scrimmage.
