When the Pittsburgh Steelers made Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton the franchise’s second second-round pick at No. 49 overall on Friday in Kansas City during the 2023 NFL Draft, the Steelers addressed a key need at the nose tackle position while adding youth and significant upside to an aging defensive line room featuring Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi as starters.
It wasn’t all that surprising to see the Steelers select Benton, as the interest was pretty clear dating back to the Senior Bowl, when Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly told Benton himself that he was on the Steelers radar in the pre-draft process.