With a major need along the defensive line this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Keeanu Benton in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While the team has several options along the interior part of the defensive line, none of them possess a ton of upside. Montravius Adams, whom the team brought back last season, was the primary guy on the interior.
While he's still in the mix to start, Benton has an upside to his game that is hard to deny. It's why the front office felt comfortable enough to take the Wisconsin product 49th overall. So far in training camp in Latrobe, the rookie has been somewhat quiet. Defensive linemen don't typically "flash" during practice anyways, and he's been getting better as this week has went on.
Steelers writer Nick Farabaugh asked right guard James Daniels about the rookie defensive lineman. Daniels, who is set to enter his second season with Pittsburgh, compared Benton to veteran Kenny Clark. If you're unaware of the name, that's quite a compliment to the rookie. Clark is entering his eighth season in the NFL, all of which have come with the Green Bay Packers.
Daniels is quite familiar with Clark, as the two faced off twice a year in the NFC North for four seasons. Daniels, who spent that time with the Chicago Bears, has always been tasked with slowing down Clark given the fact that he's an interior offensive lineman. The Packers star has made it to two Pro Bowls in his career, and that may not even fully illustrate his impact.
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He's become one of the best lineman of his era, as he is someone that can impact the game in several ways. Not only can Clark stop the run at an elite level, but he can also rush the passer quite well given his size. His numbers were a bit down in 2022, and Pro Football Focus gave him by far the worst grade of his career. In seven seasons, he's appeared in 106 games for the Packers, which has included 26.5 sacks, 38 tackles for loss, and 55 quarterback hits.
As for in Pittsburgh, expectations will be for Benton to snag that starting job in 2023. The run defense showed massive improvements in 2022 after they allowed the most yards per carry in 2021. Benton should only help improve that issue, and he also brings obvious youth to the unit. That was needed, as Cam Heyward isn't getting any younger. While he hasn't showed any signs of slowing down quite yet, he will be 34 years old when the Steelers start the 2023 season.
Recently, team insider Ray Fittipaldo predicted that Benton seems to be the rookie most likely to start right away. That means the defense may feature two rookies in the starting lineup in Week 1 if Joey Porter Jr. continues to improve over the course of the next few weeks as well. There's perhaps no better test than having to face the reigning NFC West champions, the San Francisco 49ers out of the gate.
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