Steelers' Keeanu Benton Draws Similar Comparison To 1 Former Stud Defensive Lineman

Going into the 2023 NFL Draft, it was no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to address the defensive line. Focused, strategic moves had already bolstered the offensive line thanks to Andy Weidl's influence on Omar Khan's offseason plan, but in order to be successful from Week 1 to Week 18, Pittsburgh knew they needed to look at both sides of the trenches. That desire was accomplished with their 49th overall selection, Keeanu Benton, the impressive defensive lineman out of Wisconsin.

Steelers' Selection Approved By Post-Gazette's Chris Carter

Former Steelers linebacker, Arthur Moats, joined Christopher Carter's Locked On Steelers Podcast on Wednesday to talk about the improvements the Steelers have made on defense during the 2023 offseason.

Carter, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, didn't shy away from how he felt about the Steelers taking Benton at 49 overall:

“I love Keeanu Benton in this draft class. I ranked him as my 33rd-best player on the big board overall…You see 6’4, very physical, still needs to develop a pass rush game but still had 6 sacks last year.”

Carter continued to compare Benton to the now-retired Steelers defensive lineman, Stephon Tuitt, which is high praise to the Pittsburgh fanbase. For many in the Steelers universe, the departure of Tuitt signaled the shift from a stalwart run-stopping defense to one that struggled against even the low-tier teams. Hearing the comparison to the retired Tuitt isn't only high praise, it's a signal that things may be changing for the better:

"He reminds me of, and I'm not saying exactly, 'cause he's a bit shorter than, but he reminds me of the idea of Stephon Tuitt. A big, physical guy who can eat blocks, stuff the run first, and if he just keeps developing he can be a serious pass rusher."

Steelers' Former Veteran Also Has High Praise For Benton

It didn't take long for Arthur Moats, Carter's guest for the podcast on Wednesday, to marvel at the mixture of size and ability that Benton can bring to the trenches. With size being the worst-kept secret of the Steelers' offseason, Moats touched on why he found so much to like about Benton's game:

“I like his game a lot! Big, physical guy. When you watch him in terms of run game, the way that he’s able to control these interior offensive linemen, at times it looks like child’s play when he’s ragdolling these guards or these little centers.”

It's one thing to hear a former player talk about another defensive player's athletic abilities, it's another to actually see it happening. Nick Baumgardner, a Senior Writer for The Athletic, gave a small sample on Twitter to display just what Benton is capable of on game day:

Moats wasn't nearly finished going on about the reasons he fully expects Benton to, not only be an impactful player, but to make his mark with his versatility. Coming out of college, Benton's upside was that he had entered college primarily as a run-stopping lineman, but has matured his pass-rush game throughout his collegiate career to where it is a positive rather than a liability. Moats really enjoys the more subtle aspects of what makes Benton impressive, though:

“The thing that is also a little bit impressive, but it’s sneaky when you watch him, his short area quickness, B-gap to B-gap. He gets a ton of tackles for loss, but it’s because once he gets into that back – when he’s able to redirect so well, and that’s something that a lot of big guys typically can’t do.”

Steelers Can Utilize Benton All Over

The NFL knew how valuable TJ Watt was to the Steelers, but the 2022 injury that derailed the start of Pittsburgh's season proved that he was truly irreplaceable. So, if you can't replace a generational  player, how do you prepare in case he goes down again?  Bringing in players whose abilities are multi-pronged rather than a one-trick pony is a good start.

You can't expect to have two Watts on the team (brothers not included), but you can build a conglomerate of players that, when needed, can come together in a rotational, next-man-up strategy to create the closest thing to Watt's power that they can get.

On Carter's podcast, Moats gave more insight into what makes Benton the kind of player that can hit the ground running:

“We know Coach Tomlin, man, he’s always trying to figure out a way to make 46 people on game day 53, and how do you do that? Guys that can play multiple positions. Keeanu can play the nose, he could play the one-technique, he could play the three-technique, and as you already said, you can bump him out there to the five-technique in enough time, he’d be able to play that in a base defense as well. When you’re talking about having a guy with his size, his athletic ability, and be able to play all of those positions at a varsity level, that is a weapon on gameday.”

For a player like Benton who has found success in both his gameplay and growth along the way, hearing this confidence from a former Pittsburgh player will add fuel rather than pressure. This 2023 Steelers team is built for the mud, the gritty situations and those paper-thin moments that separate great teams from forgotten ones. If Benton has anything to say about it, this season will be remembered for when the trenches were finally solidified in Pittsburgh once again.

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