During his end-of-the-season press conference, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin handed out some evaluations of several players on the roster. One player he didn’t hesitate to heap praise on was defensive tackle Keeanu Benton. Benton was one of the Steelers two second-round picks in the 2023 NFL draft.
“He’s really talented,” Benton said. “I think he’s capable of being dominant – and sooner rather than later.”
Benton’s rookie season went down a lot like fellow rookie Broderick Jones at offensive tackle. The coaches eased Benton into the defensive line rotation before finally settling in and starting nine games. It was never about the box score for Benton as he only finished with 36 tackles and a single sack but his ability to be disruptive in the backfield was evident.
The Steelers have some decisions to make about the defensive line but listening to Tomlin talk he has high expectations for Benton in the 2024 season.
