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Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin DT, reportedly trending up heading into 2023 NFL Draft
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Keeanu Benton enters the 2023 NFL Draft after an impressive career and senior season at Wisconsin. Now, the defensive tackle could be in line to be among the top group of players from his position selected in the draft.
According to Jim Nagy — Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl –, Benton is likely to be a lock as a top 50 pick. Nagy pointed to a thin DT group and the extension and leverage of the 6-foot-4 and 317-pound DL at the point of attack.
Nagy also cited NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl praising Benton’s pass rushing from the interior DL. He also claimed teams believe Benton is among a select group of DL prospects in this draft class that could develop into a 3-down starter.
One common response when talking to NFL scouts about @BadgerFootball DT Keeanu Benton is that he “had more pass rush than we thought before seeing him at @seniorbowl”.
Teams feel like Benton is one of few in this IDL class who could develop into quality three-down starter. pic.twitter.com/beTqO1sjuK
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 19, 2023
During the 2022 season, Benton had career-high numbers with 36 tackles, 10 TFL and 4.5 sacks for the Badgers. Over his final 2 seasons at Wisconsin, Benton posted 15 TFL and 7 sacks for the program.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.