The Pittsburgh Steelers put a premium on finding strong, physical football players in the 2023 offseason that started in free agency and continued in the draft. The Steelers added another "goon" to the squad according to Head Coach Mike Tomlin when they selected Wisconsin Badgers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton with the 49th overall pick.
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Keeanu Benton (#95) gets a sack against Ohio State.
The Steelers' run defense made significant progress in 2022, ranking tied for first in the least touchdowns against and ninth in rushing yards against per Pro Football Reference. However, they faced some challenging games, particularly against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, where they had difficulty stopping the ground game during crucial moments. Benton, as a guy who played a lot with the Badgers, figures to be a part of the puzzle stopping the run in 2023. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin let everyone know at his draft press conference that he's a fan of the big man the team had its eyes on throughout the draft process.
"I like him," he said near the end of his introduction. "He plays a lot of snaps. He’s an 80%, 85% guy. For a big guy, you’ll see him venture outside the box chasing things down. He’s got a good motor. He keeps himself in really good shape and has a really good competitive spirit."
How Will The Steelers Use Benton In 2023?
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Steelers defensive lineman, Cameron Heyward (#97) stands on the field at Acrisure Stadium before a 2022 regular season game against the New York Jets.
Cam Heyward is still the unquestioned leader of the defensive front. He led the defensive line in 2022 with 75.28% of defensive snaps per Pro Football Reference. The next highest player on that list is returning free agent Larry Ogunjobi who got into 59.77% of defensive snaps. They likely end up as number one and two on that list for 2023 with Benton having the prototypical size for a nose tackle at 6"4' and 309 pounds and that being the spot he primarily occupied on the Badgers front.
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Since coming over from the New Orleans Saints, Montravius Adams has played well in some depth usage but his roster spot could be in jeopardy for 2023.
The Steelers used Tyson Alualu the most of any nose tackles listed on Pro Football Reference last season at 27.35% but his play left more to be desired and he was benched in favor of Montravius Adams early in the year. Adams along with free agent additions Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko figure to be Benton's biggest challengers for playing time, but Benton's growing abilities as a pass rusher might give him an advantage. He registered a career-high 4.5 sacks in 2022 to go with a new career-best 10 tackles for a loss.
"We’re counting on him to be a run-stopper, but getting some bonus as a pass rusher," Austin said. "I think he has some of the baseline abilities. He’s heavy-handed. He gets an extension on guys. When you see those things and you see that he can roll his hips. I think Dunbar and those guys do a great job in terms of teaching guys rush plans and how to use their strengths to become better rushers."
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein said Benton "has flashed starting potential, but he needs to become a more consistently impactful force in the middle to make noise as an NFL starter." Are the Steelers the team to unlock that potential? Are you like Austin a fan of the Benton pick? Comment below!
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