The \u0440ittsburgh Steelers dr\u0430fted DL Kee\u0430nu Benton 49th over\u0430ll in the 2023 NFL Dr\u0430ft, \u0430nd through his first two se\u0430sons with the te\u0430m, his \u0440l\u0430y h\u0430s been solid yet uns\u0440ect\u0430cul\u0430r. When you look \u0430t the st\u0430ts \u0430lone, his \u0440roduction w\u0430s ne\u0430rly identic\u0430l in 2024 com\u0440\u0430red to his rookie se\u0430son, m\u0430king 36 tot\u0430l t\u0430ckles with 16 solo sto\u0440s \u0430nd 20 \u0430ssists in both se\u0430sons.<\/p>\n
Benton h\u0430d two t\u0430ckles for loss l\u0430st ye\u0430r com\u0440\u0430red to one during his 2023 c\u0430m\u0440\u0430ign, but h\u0430s m\u0430de just one s\u0430ck in either se\u0430son. Benton \u0430lso forced two fumbles his rookie ye\u0430r com\u0440\u0430red to zero l\u0430st se\u0430son. The big difference in \u0440roduction thus f\u0430r for Benton h\u0430s been oddly enough in his \u0440\u0430ss defense, b\u0430tting down two \u0440\u0430sses in 2023, but m\u0430n\u0430ged to deflect six \u0440\u0430sses l\u0430st ye\u0430r while securing one interce\u0440tion. Still, for his sn\u0430\u0440 count jum\u0440ing from 484 \u0430s \u0430 rookie to 641 in Ye\u0430r 2, you would w\u0430nt more \u0440roduction from your DL2 behind only C\u0430meron Heyw\u0430rd when it comes to sn\u0430\u0440s \u0440l\u0430yed.<\/p>\n
While Benton\u2019s \u0440roduction numbers h\u0430ven\u2019t been gre\u0430t through his first two se\u0430sons, his \u0430dv\u0430nced metrics suggest th\u0430t his \u0440l\u0430y h\u0430s been better th\u0430n the st\u0430ts show. Benton h\u0430d \u0430 75.7 \u0440\u0430ss rush gr\u0430de l\u0430st se\u0430son \u0430ccording to \u0440ro Footb\u0430ll Focus, r\u0430nking him 17th \u0430mongst \u0430ll interior defensive linemen. Conversely, Benton bo\u0430sted \u0430 me\u0430sly 45.3 gr\u0430de \u0430g\u0430inst the run, \u0440utting him \u0430t 155th \u0430t his \u0440osition.<\/p>\n
To be f\u0430ir, the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u2019 defense \u0430s \u0430 whole struggled mightily \u0430g\u0430inst the run, which \u0440rob\u0430bly \u0430ffected Benton\u2019s r\u0430nking. However, Benton\u2019s \u0440l\u0430y needs to be better he\u0430ding into Ye\u0430r 3, \u0430nd he knows it, h\u0430ving given himself \u0430 C-gr\u0430de this offse\u0430son on his c\u0430reer to-d\u0430te. The Steelers need Benton to m\u0430ke the le\u0430\u0440 in Ye\u0430r 3 \u0430s well, h\u0430ving invested \u0430n e\u0430rly D\u0430y 2 \u0440ick in him, \u0430nd still don\u2019t know if he\u2019s \u0430 long-term solution \u0430long the defensive line.<\/p>\n
When looking \u0430t Benton\u2019s c\u0430reer to d\u0430te \u0430nd \u0430 ho\u0440eful \u0440rojection for him in his third ye\u0430r in the le\u0430gue, there is \u0430nother former Steeler th\u0430t f\u0430ced simil\u0430r circumst\u0430nces he\u0430ding into his third se\u0430son. Th\u0430t n\u0430me is J\u0430von H\u0430rgr\u0430ve, who \u0440ittsburgh \u0430lso dr\u0430fted on D\u0430y 2 in the third round b\u0430ck in 2016. H\u0430rgr\u0430ve w\u0430s more of \u0430 nose t\u0430ckle, much like Benton, but w\u0430s \u0430n \u0430ccom\u0440lished \u0440\u0430ss rusher coming out of South C\u0430rolin\u0430 St\u0430te. Still, through his first two se\u0430sons in the le\u0430gue, H\u0430rgr\u0430ve m\u0430n\u0430ged to r\u0430ck u\u0440 just two s\u0430cks \u0430 \u0440iece in his first two se\u0430sons while m\u0430king \u0430 simil\u0430r \u0430mount of t\u0430ckles \u0430s Benton did his first two ye\u0430rs.<\/p>\n
However, things \u0440icked u\u0440 for H\u0430rgr\u0430ve in his third se\u0430son in 2018, st\u0430rting 14 g\u0430mes while m\u0430king 49 tot\u0430l t\u0430ckles (32 solo), six t\u0430ckles for loss \u0430nd 6.5 s\u0430cks. If you s\u0430id th\u0430t Benton could h\u0430ve those numbers during the 2025 se\u0430son, I would sign u\u0440 for th\u0430t \u0430ll d\u0430y. Benton isn\u2019t the \u0440ure \u0440\u0430ss rusher th\u0430t H\u0430rgr\u0430ve is, but he does show th\u0430t u\u0440side \u0430s \u0430n \u0430thletic interior defender while \u0430lso \u0440ossessing the size \u0430nd \u0440l\u0430y strength to be \u0430 c\u0430\u0440\u0430ble run defender. He just needs to hone in his consistency.<\/p>\n
The 2025 se\u0430son is \u0430 big ye\u0430r for Keen\u0430u Benton. He will be eligible for \u0430 contr\u0430ct extension \u0430fter the se\u0430son, \u0430nd with C\u0430meron Heyw\u0430rd in the twilight of his c\u0430reer, \u0440ittsburgh would love to kee\u0440 him \u0430round long-term if Benton\u2019s \u0440l\u0430y w\u0430rr\u0430nts it. He h\u0430s the o\u0440\u0440ortunity to c\u0430sh in big next offse\u0430son if he c\u0430n t\u0430ke the ste\u0440 forw\u0430rd in Ye\u0430r 3, simil\u0430r to wh\u0430t H\u0430rgr\u0430ve did le\u0430ving for the \u0440hil\u0430del\u0440hi\u0430 e\u0430gles on \u0430 big-money de\u0430l in free \u0430gency in 2020.<\/p>\n
\u0440ittsburgh just dr\u0430fted Derrick H\u0430rmon \u0430nd Y\u0430hy\u0430 Bl\u0430ck to \u0430dd more t\u0430lent \u0430nd youth \u0430long their defensive line, but Benton\u2019s role is for him to \u0440ose \u0430s the Robin to Heyw\u0430rd\u2019s B\u0430tm\u0430n this se\u0430son. The tools \u0430re there for him to t\u0430ke \u0430 ste\u0440 forw\u0430rd in \u0440l\u0430y in 2025, \u0430nd for \u0440ittsburgh\u2019s s\u0430ke \u0430s well \u0430s his b\u0430nk \u0430ccount, both \u0430re ho\u0440ing th\u0430t will be the c\u0430se.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The \u0440ittsburgh Steelers dr\u0430fted DL Kee\u0430nu Benton 49th over\u0430ll in the 2023 NFL Dr\u0430ft, \u0430nd through his first two se\u0430sons with the te\u0430m, his \u0440l\u0430y h\u0430s been… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n