Steelers Draftee Says Mike Tomlin ‘Wants Goons Out There’

The Pittsburgh head coach has a simple request for his newest defensive lineman.

Steelers football has always been built around physicality, even as the game has gotten more skilled over the years. In the draft this year, Pittsburgh seemed to lean toward the trenches, taking players who can help add to their toughness.

In the second round, the Steelers selected defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, a large presence from Wisconsin. When speaking with the media, Benton said Tomlin made it pretty clear why they took him

“Just talking to Coach Tomlin, the main thing I had taken away from that was he wants goons out there, and he wants somebody who’s not afraid to get his nose dirty, and I feel like I am the best option for that guy,” Benton said, via Steelers.com.

While Tomlin confirmed that’s what he told Benton, he would have preferred the new draftee had kept that conversation to them two.

“That’s an accurate description, but I’ll give him some media training so he can keep some of our private conversations private,” Tomlin said.

Benton spent four years in the Big Ten with Wisconsin and compiled a total of 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks over the past two years. If Tomlin wants a player who isn’t afraid to get dirty, it certainly seems as if he got the right kind of player with Benton.

Besides Benton, Pittsburgh also drafted Georgia offensive lineman Broderick Jones, Georgia tight end Darnell Washington and Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the first two days of the draft.