Football
Wisconsin Badgers: Keeanu Benton Boosts Draft Stock at Senior Bowl
Madison, Wis. — Anyone who has closely followed the Wisconsin Badgers football program knows that Keeanu Benton is an exceptional talent on the defensive line.
The 6-foot-4, 315-pound nose tackle is coming off his most productive season at UW in 2022, where he registered 35 tackles, 28 pressures, 10 TFLs (2nd amongst B1G interior linemen), and added a career-high 4.5 sacks en route to third-team All-Big Ten honors.
According to Pro Football Focus, Benton finished with the Wisconsin Badgers third-highest pass-rushing grade (83.6), trailing only linebackers Maema Njongmeta and Nick Herbig.
The talented defensive lineman received an invite to play in the Reeces Senior Bowl this past week, and let’s just say he boosted his NFL draft stock quite a bit during the process.
Senior Bowl Recap
The first significant event of the NFL draft season wrapped up on Saturday with the conclusion of the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
And now that Wisconsin Badgers DL Keeanu Benton had the chance to put his talent on full display in front of NFL talent evaluators, his draft stock is undoubtedly on the rise.
Nobody has really blocked Wisconsin NT Keeanu Benton yet
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 31, 2023
The Janesville native put his athleticism on full display and reportedly impressed all week long with his power, speed, and motor as a disruptive pass-rusher.
Violent & explosive hands from Keeanu Benton. Kid can move @ 312. pic.twitter.com/Su5dKwyACP
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 31, 2023
Keeanu Benton also received high praise from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler:
“Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton entered the week as my clear No. 1 senior defensive tackle, and he backed that up. A nose tackle in the Badgers’ scheme, Benton is a stout run defender, but his potential as a pass rusher is intriguing,” said Brugler. “Using both quickness and power, he consistently won his one-on-one reps and showed why he landed in the second round of my latest mock draft.”
The former Wisconsin Badgers standout will likely be a top-100 selection in April. Still, regardless of where Benton winds up, I have little doubt he’ll become a damn good NFL player – I’m just happy other people are finally putting some respect on his name.
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