One of the more glaring needs for the Chicago Bears, especially on the defensive side of the ball, is the defensive line.
Matt Eberflus has been on the record of saying his defenses need a 3-technique — the defensive tackle who lines up on the outside shoulder of an offensive guard — and that’s certainly a spot of need for the Chicago Bears in this offseason.
While there’s a lot of noise on the Chicago Bears drafting Jalen Carter with the No. 1 overall pick or signing Da’Ron Payne in free agency, who knows if either of those outcomes happen?
If they do, they do. But, if they don’t, the Bears need to have a plan of attack on gaining that 3-tech.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2019 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | FR | NT | 8 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2020 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | SO | NT | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| *2021 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | JR | NT | 12 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |||
| *2022 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | SR | DT | 12 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 10.0 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | Wisconsin | 44 | 37 | 81 | 19.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
A player who could fit that role and someone who the Bears had plenty of eyes on during the Senior Bowl is Wisconsin defensive lineman Keeanu Benton.
For a team that needs interior linemen with a nastiness, this guy checks the boxes.
Could Keeanu Benton fit the ‘necessary’ need at 3-tech for the Chicago Bears?
Benton stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 317 pounds, which makes him a pretty well-sized interior lineman.
He’s really quick for being over 300 pounds, has good enough strength to not get washed down the line on most reps, and has some exceptional hand work.
Violent & explosive hands from Keeanu Benton. Kid can move @ 312. pic.twitter.com/Su5dKwyACP
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 31, 2023
During his time at Wisconsin, his hands might be the most impressive part of his game. They’re like two bear claws that move at the speed of light. No, that’s not an exaggeration — even if it kind of is.
There are parts of his game that need fine-tuning, but that’s to be expected of a lot of players going into the draft. Rarely will a prospect be perfect, and that’s on the coaching staff to pinpoint what those areas are that need improvement.
That said, Benton has a lot of positives to pair with a much smaller list of negatives. He plays physically, he plays fast, and he plays strong.
Based on the type of player Ryan Poles has been on the record of saying he prefers, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the Chicago Bears announce Keeanu Benton’s draft selection.
After the amount of buzz around him once the Senior Bowl finished, his draft stock is certainly on the rise.
If the Bears are lucky, he’ll fall into their lap on the pick they expect to get him at.