A second-round pick out of Wisconsin, Keeanu Benton has developed into a disruptive interior force for the Steelers, posting a career-best sack total in 2025.
Keeanu Benton is a defensive tackle who anchored Wisconsin's line before becoming a steady, increasingly disruptive presence in Pittsburgh's defensive interior. After a slow start to 2025, he rebounded into one of his best professional seasons and is now working toward a contract extension with the Steelers.
Path to the league
Benton started 36 of 45 games across four seasons at Wisconsin, finishing with 82 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021 and third-team honors in 2022 before the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him 49th overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Benton has started regularly for Pittsburgh since entering the league, developing into one of the team's more productive interior defenders. He has been durable and reliable along the Steelers' defensive front, and the team has begun working toward a contract extension for him.
2025 season recap
Benton started all 17 games in 2025 and finished with career highs of 51 tackles, 5.5 sacks, six tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits. He struggled early in the season against the run at nose tackle but rebounded, including a sack and a half in a Week 4 win over Minnesota.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Keeanu Benton
- ESPN: Keeanu Benton
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | steelers | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | steelers | 17 | 51 | 25 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | steelers | 17 | 36 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2023 | steelers | 17 | 36 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Wisconsin
- Hometown
- Janesville, WI, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
Latest news about Keeanu Benton
All news →Steelers Trade Joey Porter Jr. to Cowboys After Contract Standoff
Update: Pittsburgh traded Porter to Dallas on Oct. 1 for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. He never played a snap for the Steelers this season.
Steelers Extend Keeanu Benton on 4-Year, $72 Million Deal
The 2023 second-round pick becomes the highest-paid defensive lineman in franchise history after a career-high 5.5-sack season, joining a wave of extensions for Pittsburgh's 2023 draft class.
