The Pittsburgh Steelers spent significant resources on their trench play in recent years. Since Omar Khan took over the General Manager role from Kevin Colbert, 10 of his 21 draft selections have been either offensive or defensive linemen. That investment has raised the floor of the roster, but they haven't had any of those players blossom into stars quite yet.
The jury is still out on all of those selections, but one player in particular needs to make a huge leap if they want to be a part of the Steelers' future.
Keeanu Benton has been a quality starter over his first two seasons, but he hasn't developed into the force of nature that his talent suggests he could become. While a big part of that has been the coaching staff's insistence on playing him at nose tackle, the overall production hasn't justified the second-round pick used to add him in 2023.
Pittsburgh Steelers need to see more out of Keeanu Benton in 2025
Even though Benton hasn't been a disappointment by any means, the Steelers were clearly not banking on him being the long-term replacement for Cam Heyward based on their 2025 draft decisions. Derrick Harmon was brought in with their first-round pick, and he has already earned a starting job next to Heyward at defensive end.
That leaves Benton to once again be the primary nose tackle, a role he is ill-suited for and has not had much success at through two seasons. Even though he often played the position while at Wisconsin, he lacks the strength and size to hold up against double teams.
Pittsburgh also added Iowa defensive lineman Yahya Black in the fifth round, who would be a much better fit for the nose tackle role at over 330 pounds. Unfortunately, he is currently listed as a defensive end on the Steelers' roster. That will hopefully change, but for now, Benton is the only one being considered for the role.
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That will limit his chances of being an effective pass rusher, which is where he has shown the most potential so far in his career. His combination of quickness and initial burst off the line is too much for many interior linemen, but he rarely has good opportunities to show it.
The young defender will have to make the best of a bad situation, but hopefully, a strong season from Heyward and Harmon can give him more one-on-one rush opportunities. His run defense will have to improve substantially as well, but that will be an uphill battle to say the least.
If his production remains similar to his first two seasons, however, Benton may lose playing time heading into his contract year in 2026.