The Steelers signed rookie defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, the second-round selection from Wisconsin. The Steelers took Benton with the 49th overall pick.

Benton was an All-Big Ten third team selection by the coaches in 2022. He played in 12 games, starting all of them. He finished the season with 36 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and four and a half sacks.

"Big strong guy. Really active. Good hands," said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. "For a big guy you will see him venture outside the box, chasing things down. He's got a good motor. You can see he's in really good shape when he plays. He plays a lot of snaps. He is an 80-85% guy. He keeps himself in really good shape, really competitive spirit.'

Benton said the more he gets to work with the Steelers coaching staff and the veterans on the roster the more he feels like his game will progress, especially as a pass rusher.

"I feel like I've got a lot of strengths," said Benton. "I feel like my run game is mainly the big thing that a lot of people see. But I feel like in Pittsburgh, I can develop into a great pass rusher, kind of get notes from Coach [Karl] Dunbar, who's a great coach, and Cam Heyward. It's going to be awesome working behind a vet who's been there before and who's been doing it for as long as him, just kind of picking his brain and putting my own little schedule together. Just getting help from the veterans who've been there and had success at this level."