The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted DL Keeanu Benton 49th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and through his first two seasons with the team, his play has been solid yet unspectacular. When you look at the stats alone, his production was nearly identical in 2024 compared to his rookie season, making 36 total tackles with 16 solo stops and 20 assists in both seasons.
Benton had two tackles for loss last year compared to one during his 2023 campaign, but has made just one sack in either season. Benton also forced two fumbles his rookie year compared to zero last season. The big difference in production thus far for Benton has been oddly enough in his pass defense, batting down two passes in 2023, but managed to deflect six passes last year while securing one interception. Still, for his snap count jumping from 484 as a rookie to 641 in Year 2, you would want more production from your DL2 behind only Cameron Heyward when it comes to snaps played.
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While Benton's production numbers haven't been great through his first two seasons, his advanced metrics suggest that his play has been better than the stats show. Benton had a 75.7 pass rush grade last season according to Pro Football Focus, ranking him 17th amongst all interior defensive linemen. Conversely, Benton boasted a measly 45.3 grade against the run, putting him at 155th at his position.
To be fair, the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense as a whole struggled mightily against the run, which probably affected Benton's ranking. However, Benton's play needs to be better heading into Year 3, and he knows it, having given himself a C-grade this offseason on his career to-date. The Steelers need Benton to make the leap in Year 3 as well, having invested an early Day 2 pick in him, and still don't know if he's a long-term solution along the defensive line.
When looking at Benton's career to date and a hopeful projection for him in his third year in the league, there is another former Steeler that faced similar circumstances heading into his third season. That name is Javon Hargrave, who Pittsburgh also drafted on Day 2 in the third round back in 2016. Hargrave was more of a nose tackle, much like Benton, but was an accomplished pass rusher coming out of South Carolina State. Still, through his first two seasons in the league, Hargrave managed to rack up just two sacks a piece in his first two seasons while making a similar amount of tackles as Benton did his first two years.
However, things picked up for Hargrave in his third season in 2018, starting 14 games while making 49 total tackles (32 solo), six tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. If you said that Benton could have those numbers during the 2025 season, I would sign up for that all day. Benton isn't the pure pass rusher that Hargrave is, but he does show that upside as an athletic interior defender while also possessing the size and play strength to be a capable run defender. He just needs to hone in his consistency.
The 2025 season is a big year for Keenau Benton. He will be eligible for a contract extension after the season, and with Cameron Heyward in the twilight of his career, Pittsburgh would love to keep him around long-term if Benton's play warrants it. He has the opportunity to cash in big next offseason if he can take the step forward in Year 3, similar to what Hargrave did leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles on a big-money deal in free agency in 2020.
Pittsburgh just drafted Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black to add more talent and youth along their defensive line, but Benton's role is for him to pose as the Robin to Heyward's Batman this season. The tools are there for him to take a step forward in play in 2025, and for Pittsburgh's sake as well as his bank account, both are hoping that will be the case.
Keeanu Benton 'Has To Start Playing' Like He's Steelers' Best DL Behind Heyward, Fittipaldo Says
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