Keeanu Benton

Keeanu Kyrie Benton (born July 17, 2001) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers.

Early life Benton grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin and attended Joseph A. Craig High School, where he competed in football and wrestling. As a senior, he made 75 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and one fumble recovery. Benton committed to play college football at Wisconsin over an offer from Iowa.

College career Benton played college football at Wisconsin from 2019 to 2022. He played in 13 games and made six starts at nose tackle as a freshman and finished the season with 12 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks. He played in seven games and made seven starts at nose tackle during his sophomore season. He was named second team All-Big Ten Conference as a junior after making 25 tackles with five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He was named Third-Team All-Big Ten in 2022.

Statistics Season Team GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Cmb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds Avg TD PD FF FR 2019 Wisconsin 8 12 8 4 2.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2020 Wisconsin 7 9 5 4 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 2021 Wisconsin 12 24 11 13 2.5 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 2 2022 Wisconsin 12 36 20 16 4.5 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0Career 39 81 44 37 9.0 0 0 0 1 4 2 2

Professional career

Benton was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round, 49th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft. On June 23, 2023, Benton signed a four-year rookie contract with the Steelers. As a rookie, Benton appeared in 17 games and started nine. He finished with one sack, 36 total tackles (16 solo), two passes defended, and two forced fumbles.

On December 8, 2024, Benton recorded his first NFL interception, off Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston in a 27–14 Steelers win.

On August 14, 2026, the Steelers signed Benton to a four-year, $72 million contract extension with the Steelers.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2023 PIT 17 9 36 16 20 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2024 PIT 17 14 36 16 20 1.0 2 1 11 11.0 11 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 2025 PIT 17 17 51 25 26 5.5 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0Career 51 40 123 57 66 7.5 9 1 11 11.0 11 0 9 3 0 1 0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2023 PIT 1 0 5 1 4 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 PIT 1 1 4 2 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2025 PIT 1 1 4 1 3 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0Career 3 2 13 4 9 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0