Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton Drafted in Second Round by Pittsburgh Steelers

MADISON, Wis. – There was no debate for Keeanu Benton when pressed about who would be more nervous on draft night: him or his family.

“My mom,” Benton said. “She’s a worrier. She’s been waiting for this moment just as long as me.”

The wait and worries are over for the Benton family, as the former Wisconsin defensive tackle was selected in the second round (Pick 49) by the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him the first Badgers defensive lineman selected in the first two rounds since J.J. Watt went No.11 overall in 2011.

Through his three seasons as a Badger, Benton accounted for 82 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, and nine sacks. He declared for the NFL Draft after earning third-team all-conference honors in 2022, setting career highs in tackles (36), tackles for loss (10.0), and sacks (4.5). His overall grade by Pro Football Focus jumped from 61.7 (595th in the country among defensive linemen) to 73.6 (186th), as he finished with an 83.5 pass-rushing grade last season.

He emerged from his underappreciated nose tackle role at the Reese’s Senior Bowl with his dominance in one-on-one matchups and individual drills. Invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, Benton completed 25 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, which was fifth among defensive tackles at the combine. He ran the three-cone drill in 7.34 seconds (second), the 20-yard shuttle in 4.65 seconds (fourth), and the 40-yard dash in 5.08 seconds (eighth). He also jumped 29½ inches in the vertical (sixth) and had 9 feet, 3 inches in the broad jump (fifth).

At UW’s Pro Day, Benton believed he showed NFL evaluators his athleticism, power, and versatility, able to play anywhere on the line from 0-technique to 4-technique. PFF ranked him the No. 5 interior defensive lineman in the class and the No.55 overall prospect.

“You have a little bit of self-doubt not knowing how well the process is treating you until you kind of get there,” said Benton, who trained in Morristown, N.J. “I think I did everything I could to do my best and keep moving up the draft stock.”

Wisconsin has 32 players on NFL rosters after the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season, 30 of which appeared in a game with 24 making starts. Matt Henningsen (Denver) and Isaiahh Loudermilk (Pittsburgh) – Benton’s former teammates – are the only current NFL defensive linemen who played at Wisconsin.

Full-time starter for most of four seasons.

Stout frame with proportional thickness and excellent length.

Brute force to toss angle blocks out of the way.

Able to shake center’s pads with his initial punch.

Very challenging to knock him off his feet.

Battles through initial adversity and fights back into the play.

Clubbing, heavy hands help knock pass sets off-balance.

Below average snap quickness into neutral zone.

Lacks hip flexion for desired base width inside.

Slow to read and move with blocker’s initial reach steps.

Gets pushed off of his grass when pad level gets away from him.

Inconsistent corkscrewing his post leg to take on double teams.

Very limited tackle window and will primarily be an A-gap finisher.

Slow-moving train once inside pocket as a rusher.

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