JANESVILLE — Anxious anticipation turned to pure joy Friday night when Janesville Craig graduate and former Wisconsin Badger Keeanu Benton’s name finally was called in the NFL draft.
A video posted Wednesday to Benton’s Twitter account shows the scene on draft day when the room erupts in joy the moment his name is announced as the second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. WATCH HERE ON TWITTER or above.
“Best day of my life by a longshot,” he wrote.
Benton took to Instagram as well to introduce himself to Steelers fans.
“I’m very excited to get the chance to come to the Steelers under the best coach in the league, Mike Tomlin,” Benton said in the video.
Benton was chosen with the 49th pick in the second round by Pittsburgh Steelers.
He earned all-state and all-conference honors at Janesville Craig High School and qualified twice for the WIAA state wrestling meet.
As a Badger, he started six games as a true freshman in 2019 (12 tackles, four for loss with two sacks in 13 games) and five games in 2020 (eight tackles in seven contests), according to his NFL bio.
Benton’s 2021 play in 13 starts was noticed by Big Ten coaches, who named him second-team all-conference (25 tackles, five for loss with 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups) as he helped lead the nation’s top rushing defense.
He was a third-team selection as a senior, recording 35 stops, 10 for loss with 4.5 sacks, and two pass breakups in 12 starts.