Keeanu Benton is a starting defensive tackle you can pick on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft
Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton is a run-stuffer, but can he develop pass-rushing ability in the pros?
The 2023 NFL Draft’s group of interior defensive line prospects can best be described as “boom-or-bust”.
Georgia’s Jalen Carter is the consensus top prospect at defensive tackle from a film perspective, but off-the-field questions linger with him heading into the draft. Clemson’s Bryan Bresee has elite tools but dealt with injury problems in college and didn’t live up to the massive expectations placed upon him coming out of high school. Pittsburgh’s Calijah Kancey is an absurdly athletic and talented defender, but he’s a statistical outlier from a size and length perspective.
That leaves the rest of the class. Is Siaki Ika from Baylor versatile enough to serve as more than a two-down, 4-3 base nose tackle? Can Mazi Smith of Michigan maximize his tremendous physical attributes better than he did in college?
There are plenty of question marks surrounding the interior defensive line class, but for my money, the safest defensive tackle in the 2023 draft is Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton.
Keeanu Benton’s strengths
From his rips to his stabs, swims and shucks, Benton has a variety of moves he can use to beat you along the interior. He’s a solid technician who knows how to string moves together well. He’s a more than capable two-gapper who can plug up holes against the run regardless of where he’s aligned. He’s a reliable run defender with a powerful frame, and he offers above-average awareness in when to stack and shed at the line of scrimmage.
Nobody’s gonna mistake him for an Aaron Donald-type athlete, but Benton has good first-step quickness and is explosive enough in a vacuum to create initial penetration into opposing backfields. His testing was quite solid all across the board at the combine, which is encouraging.
Keeanu Benton’s weaknesses
Benton doesn’t offer a ton of value on stunts because of a lack of top-notch agility, and when he has to operate in space as a run defender, he struggles chasing down ball-carriers. Though Benton uses his hands well and creates nice initial interior pressure, he doesn’t have the long speed or the agility on tape needed to finish the play on a consistent basis. A lack of elite physical attributes could limit his upside a bit at the next level.
Keeanu Benton highlights
Keeanu Benton’s 2023 NFL Combine results
Benton finished with an 8.87 Relative Athletic Score after his performance at the Scouting Combine. Measuring at 6-foot-4 and 309 pounds, he ran a 5.08 40-yard dash with a 1.74 10-yard split. He also finished with above-average explosion and agility scores, as well.
Some of Anderson’s athletic profile comparisons on Mockdraftable include Star Lotulelei and Kawaan Short.
What others are saying about Keeanu Benton
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had the following to say about Benton:
Benton is a powerful interior defensive lineman with size and persistence. However, he needs to play with consistent explosiveness early in the rep for decisive wins at the point of attack at the pro level. Block engagements become drawn-out brawls at times, but he does a nice job of defeating block sustains and often finds himself near the play. He lacks a wide base and sturdy anchor, so he’ll need to improve his pad level to prevent double teams from moving him around too easily. He’s solid and has flashed starting potential, but he needs to become a more consistently impactful force in the middle to make noise as an NFL starter.
Benton has the skill set to be at least solid starting 1-technique defensive tackle in the pros. Whether he has elite pass-rushing value is up for debate, but he’s a strong run defender who uses his hands super well and has a bit of short-area burst to him. He should be an immediate contributor at the NFL level.