Keeanu Benton may be young but he’s ready to become a leader

When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Keeanu Benton in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, they drafted a player they believed could be an anchor on their defensive line for years to come. After one season in Pittsburgh, Benton is coming into his own as he is only 22 years old and has a full year of NFL experience.

Despite having a solid rookie season, Benton only had one sack and that came in Week 3 of the season, before he even became a full-time starter. While that number should increase, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar and Benton himself believe there were still sacks on the field last season. Benton said he will improve in that area as he becomes more comfortable on defense.

“I feel like sometimes I was double-teamed and then guys would come off because we had a blitzer that I don’t think about in my mind,” Benton told Alan Saunders. Steelers now“He comes out, I’m there to sack, boom, I can’t do it, because I’m not ready. I just know the defense in general, I know when I can take those opportunities and get after the quarterback.”

Another aspect of his game that will improve is his speed and agility. Benton started his rookie season weighing over 310 pounds, but now, as he enters his sophomore season, he has slimmed down to 309 pounds. It showed on the field during the team’s minicamp as he chased down quarterbacks and even knocked down a few balls.

“Yeah, I lost weight,” Benton said. “I lost a few pounds. I feel great.”

As a rookie, Benton played 484 defensive snaps in 17 regular season games, but said he never hit the infamous “rookie wall” and attributed that to being bulked up every time he got to put on his Steelers jersey.

“I’m not going to lie, everyone talks about the rookie wall and how difficult that stage is,” Benton said. “I felt like that mentally, but physically I was so in the dream that every time I played in the NFL, with that Steelers jersey and helmet, it was amazing, no matter what. So I don’t think the physical aspect was a problem for me. I just mentally knew those plays and took the next step the second year. »

As he enters his sophomore season, Benton is already eyeing a bigger role on defense and said he’s proud of his mentoring abilities. At just 22 years old, Benton is already looking to become one of the leaders of the Steelers defense.

“My leadership, for sure,” Benton said of what he wants to improve on this year. “I feel like I’m starting to become one of those guys that young people can turn to and ask questions or the new guys that can turn to and ask questions. I am proud of it and I must continue this momentum. »

Benton is almost guaranteed to get first-team snaps over Montravius ​​Adams since he usurped Adams’ role last season and never looked back. Entering just his second year, Benton is looking more and more like a steal for the Steelers as he’s on the fast track to becoming one of the most impactful defensive players in 2024.

95 • Keeanu Benton, defensive tackle, Wisconsin
1.93 m, 140 kg, 22 years old, 2nd season

Acquired: The Steelers drafted Keeanu Benton from the University of Wisconsin with the 49th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Last season: As a rookie, Keeanu Benton has found his feet as the season progresses. Benton made his first start in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens and went on to start eight of the final 11 games of the season. His lone sack came against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3, but he has been a force in the middle for the Steelers defense, racking up 36 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Year	General practitioner	GS	Tackles	Bags	FF
2023	17	9	36	1	2

College: Keeanu Benton left high school as a three-star recruit and decided to continue his football career at the University of Wisconsin. As a true freshman, Benton appeared in 13 games and was a six-time starter at nose tackle for the Badgers. He had 12 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks in 2019. One of his two sacks came against Ohio State University in the Big Ten Championship.

In 2020, Benton played in seven games and started in five of them for Wisconsin. As a nose tackle, Benton totaled eight combined tackles and forced two fumbles. Benton had four tackles, his best total of the season, and a forced fumble in the team’s season opener against Illinois.

As a junior in 2021, Benton assumed the role of full-time starting nose tackle starting all 13 games for the Badgers at center defensive line. He finished the season with 25 total tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Benton had a career-high six tackles and two sacks against Minnesota. Following the 2021 season, Benton was named to the All-Big Ten second team.

As a senior at Wisconsin, Benton had his best college season to date. He started all 12 games at nose tackle and recorded 35 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two passes defensed. Seven of his 10 tackles for loss and four of his sacks came in the team’s final four games of the season. Benton recorded two sacks, his best total of the season, in a game against Illinois. After the season, Benton was named to the All-Big Ten third team by the league’s coaches.

During his career with the Badgers, Benton appeared in 45 games and recorded 36 of those contests. During his time in Madison, Benton totaled 80 combined tackles, 19 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles.

Year	General practitioner	GS	Tackles	TFL	Bags	PD	FF
2019	13	6	12	4.0	2.0	0	0
2020	7	5	8	0.0	0.0	0	2
2021	13	13	25	5.0	2.5	2	0
2022	12	12	35	10.0	4.5	2	0

Salary cap and future: Benton is entering the second year of his standard four-year rookie contract with the Steelers. This season, he will cost $1.66 million against the team’s salary cap. Of his 2024 salary cap, $1.08 million is base salary while $583,295 is bonuses.

Benton is signed with the Steelers through the end of the 2026 season, when he will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

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