Is Keeanu Benton a future star on the Steelers defensive line?

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted the Wisconsin Defender with their original 2nd round pick, #49 overall. Defensive line isn’t an immediate need for he Steelers with Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi returning, but there was definitely opportunity to earn snaps, especially at nose tackle in the Steelers 3-4 fronts.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, right in the middle (third from bottom).

Here is Benton at a 0-tech alignment, lined up directly across from the center, in a 3-4 look that the Steelers frequently show. On this play, Benton uses his long arms and finds a low center of gravity to stay in place on this run, and when the back comes his way he uses his length to finish the play.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, second from the bottom

The Badgers go to a nickel set with a four-man front and Benton lines up between the guard and center (1-tech), while the other defensive tackle lines up just outside the opposite guard (3-tech). Benton does a great job coming off the ball low and fast, driving his blocker more vertical and dispatching him to blow up the run play. You can see the back wants to follow the pulling guard and H-back into the gap to Benton’s left, but Benton’s penetration shuts all of that down.

But we can’t just look at the good:

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, in the middle, right across from the center.

Benton comes off the snap too vertical and gets driven out of the play by the Buckeye’s guard. Plays like this were rare for Benton, he almost never got driven off the line without being double-teamed except for this game.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, second from the bottom.

Keeanu Benton’s biggest weakness is in pass rush, where he doesn’t have any real rush moves, just effort and strength. This snap here gives a good idea of what he will likely offer in pass rush against NFL guards. You can see him trying (and failing) to pull his blocker to the side.

Benton struggled a lot against the Buckeyes offensive line, got away from fundamentally sound play quite a lot, and it led to a lot of bad losses.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, right in the middle.

Even as he was struggling, Benton still found a way to make a few plays, here holding his ground and getting off the block to make a tackle.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, in the middle, right across from the center.

Here we see another example of a poor pass rush. Benton’s spin move could be worse, but it gets him nowhere. He stays active though, and manages to get a sack on this play despite being double-teamed.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, in the middle, right across from the center.

Here Benton doesn’t try any moves, and just pushes the center backward into the pocket. It doesn’t lead to a sack and the lineman takes him down at the end, but forcing the pocket backwards puts the quarterback in a tough spot with the pressure from the edge rusher (#19 Nick Herbig) and he ends up throwing a hurried ball that falls incomplete.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, second from the bottom.

Benton is rushing on a stunt here that works, and he’s completely unblocked. He’s not the fastest and doesn’t have the smoothest execution here, but it works and he gets a sack. also notice on this play Benton is farther outside than on a lot of plays, he’s a 3-tech here, lined up outside the guard.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, second from the top.

Benton is again lined up as a 3-tech and he comes across the guard’s body into the A-gap for a sack. He does a good job with his right-hand punch here to move the guard and open the rush lane.

Keeanu Benton (#95) is on the line, in the middle, right across from the center.

Despite this being a four-man front Benton is again across from the center in a 0-tech alignment. You can see Benton fighting and eventually breaking through the line for a sack. This is how Keeanu Benton does most of his damage on pass rush, fight and hustle. He’s not going to beat blockers with a well-executed pass rush arsenal, that’s not Keeanu Benton, but he definitely fights hard and doesn’t stop, and that will pay off.

I expect Keeanu Benton to get early playtime at nose tackle in the Steelers 3-4 looks and as a 1-tech in four-man fronts. He has the length and athleticism to play defensive end (5-tech) in a 3-4 as well, but he’ll have to learn the position. While that will draw him comparisons to Javon Hargrave for playing the same position and being selected earlier in the draft, Hargrave was more polished in his pass rush and not as good against the run. The upside for Benton will be if he can add pass rush moves to his game and become a real threat as a rusher. He reminds me a good deal of Cameron Heyward, who didn’t have much of a pass rush when he entered the league, and to this day gets more sacks off hustle and fight than he does off of pass rush moves. He’s a long way off from becoming what Heyward has become, but he is in the right spot and will have the perfect mentor to try and take those steps.