Keeanu Benton NFL Draft Overview
Position: Nose Tackle/ Interior Defensive Lineman
Height: 6′-4″
Weight: 317 pounds
School: Wisconsin
2023 NFL Draft: Keeanu Benton Scouting Report
Keeanu Benton has decided to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the draft, even though he is ranked as the 82nd-best prospect, overall and an extra year may have propelled him to guaranteed first-round status. His first season in Madison was impressive as he totaled 12 tackles (eight solo, four assisted), and had two sacks, in only eight games.
There was quite a decline in his productivity in 2020. Benton only played in seven games, had eight total tackles (four solo, four assisted) he did not have any sacks, but did have one forced fumble. Benton had a bounce-back year in 2021, with 24 total tackles (11 solo, 13 assisted), he also had at the time, a career-high in sacks, with 2.5, recovered two fumbles, and also had one pass defensed, for the Badgers. In his final season, Benton set career highs in total tackles, with 36 (20 solo, 16 assisted), sacks with 4.5, and although he did not have any forced fumbles or fumble recoveries, he did set a career-high with two passes defensed.
Strengths
- Has great reach length to gain separation from defender;
- Beats angle blocks with ease;
- Initial punch rattles the defender, powerful;
- Persistent; overcomes initial resistance to continue to fight to try to make a play;
- Has the ability to knock down/disrupt/defense pass attempts.
Weaknesses
- Slow, off the snap;
- Slow to react to blockers;
- Has trouble maintaining a low pad level;
- Has trouble making tackles in any other gap besides the “A” gap;
- Speed to get to the quarterback on a passing play is subpar.
NFL Comparison: A less dynamic Christian Wilkins
Teams With Need At Position: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints
Projection: 3rd-4th Round Pick
Bottom Line on Keeanu Benton
Benton has shown he can contribute significantly to a team willing to draft him, however, he has also shown how his numbers can taper off significantly. His career at Wisconsin can be seen as erratic, especially if teams look at what he did from his freshmen to sophomore seasons. If teams ignore those two seasons and focus on what he did in his final two seasons in Madison, then Benton is likely a second-round pick, despite being considered somewhere in the 80s as an overall prospect.
What may intrigue teams is his ability to disrupt and knock down passes. What will turn teams off is the fact that he has issues tackling any runner who is not running through the “A” gap, and has trouble getting to a pass-ready quarterback. Benton’s weaknesses appear to outweigh his strengths, which is why there is a rather large draft projection range.
On one hand, he has a lot of potential to be a very talented nose tackle/interior defensive lineman in the NFL. On the other, Benton is a player at this point, who has a lot more areas he needs to show improvement in if he is to be a well-rounded and complete nose tackle/interior defensive lineman in the NFL. This begs the question, why Benton decided to forego his final year of NCAA eligibility when he could have continued to refine the entirety of his skills and become a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Main Photo: Mark Stewart – USA Today Sports
