4 Senior Bowl practice standouts likely on Steelers draft-day radar

Steelers could target a powerful nose tackle

Reloading the defensive line has to be one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top priorities this offseason. All-Pro Cam Heyward is only getting older, and the rest of the defensive line is either inexperienced, a free agent, or not productive enough to keep the team from drafting new talent.

Tyson Alualu is well respected in the organization, but is likely approaching retirement and has shown his age over the last two seasons. Larry Ogunjobi in my opinion must be resigned to keep this group somewhat cohesive. The emergence of DeMarvin Leal is promising but doesn’t do enough to keep this defense from falling back into what was a historically awful effort in 2021 when the Steelers were the worst rush defense in the league.

One of the answers to this problem could be right in front of the Steelers’ scouts at the Senior Bowl this week in DT Keeanu Benton out of Wisconsin. It is no secret that Pittsburgh loves drafting guys from Big Ten programs and I think Benton could be the next.

The former Wisconsin Badger has been almost unblockable in practice this week and is quickly shooting up the draft boards. A deep bag of rush moves and quick feet have piqued the interest of many D-Line-hungry NFL teams.

Benton himself claims he is on the Steelers’ “radar” sparking much speculation that he could be getting the call from Coach Tomlin on draft night.

Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin will have their work cut out for them on draft night and have many options to consider at the Senior Bowl this week. The 2023 draft could possibly be the most pivotal moment in recent history for the franchise as they continue to look for success without Ben Roethlisberger.