Pittsburgh Steelers select Keeanu Benton with third pick in second round of 2023 NFL Draft

With the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Wisconsin defensive lineman Keeanu Benton.

Previously the Steelers selected Georgia offensive lineman Broderick Jones with their first-round selection, and Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr with their first pick of the second round.

The Steelers finished last year with a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Despite a slow start, the Steelers rattled off six wins in their final seven games to finish with a positive record. The season was coach Mike Tomlin’s 16th season at the helm, and they have never finished with a losing record during his tenure.

Steelers moves coming into the draft

Last season was the beginning of a new era for the Steelers, as they played their first season without Ben Roethlisberger under center. The Steelers brought in Mitch Trubisky via free agency and drafted Kenny Pickett with last year’s first-round pick — the 20th overall. Trubisky began the season as the starting quarterback, but Pickett won the job by Week 5 and began to take control of the offense.

Unfortunately, Pickett’s rookie season didn’t impress via statistics and he finished his first year with just seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 games. Pittsburgh will look for him to take the next step as a sophomore quarterback while they build around him via the draft this year.

To do that, Pittsburgh came into draft day with seven total picks — including threee in the top-50.

Already this offseason, Pittsburgh signed two guards via free agency to help bolster their offensive line. Isaac Seumalo (from Philadelphia) and Nate Herbig (from the New York Jets) are the latest acquisitions by the Steelers. Additionally, they added veteran defensive back Patrick Peterson to help fill out their secondary.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft, Steelers picks

The 2023 NFL Draft, which began Thursday, April 27, continues through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft began at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

Below is the full list of Steelers draft picks for 2023.

• Round 1, No. 17
• Round 2, No. 32 (from Chicago)
• Round 2, No. 49
• Round 3, No. 80
• Round 4, No. 120
• Round 7, No. 234
• Round 7, No. 241 (from Minnesota through Denver)