It was no secret that rookie second-round pick Keeanu Benton was going to have a role for the Pittsburgh Steelers right away entering the 2023 season.
That role was expected to be limited, at least early on. Due to injuries though to names like star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and second-year pro DeMarvin Leal, as well as with veteran Larry Ogunjobi banged up entering the season opener at Acrisure Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers, Benton was pushed into a larger role.
Credit to the rookie, too: he embraced the larger role and played quite well overall in 29 snaps, grading out as the second-highest graded rookie from Pro Football Focus in Week One.