Steelers sign 1st-round pick Broderick Jones, 2nd-rounder Keeanu Benton to rookie deals

After going more than a month without getting one of their three remaining unsigned draft picks under contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed first-round offensive tackle Broderick Jones and second-round defensive tackle Keeanu Benton to their rookie contracts Friday.

Jones signed about an hour after the Steelers inked Benton to his four-year deal.

Jones, the No. 14 overall pick in the draft, has a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth $16.26 million that includes a $9 million signing bonus.

Benton’s four-year deal is worth $7.33 million and includes a $2.3 million signing bonus. In a twist, however, Benton’s contract reportedly includes guaranteed money in his third year, a first for a No. 49 overall draft pick.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr., the first selection of the second round and No. 32 overall pick, remains the only unsigned member of the Steelers’ rookie class.

Jones worked at left tackle during offseason workouts and practiced mostly with the No. 2 offense. At training camp, he could compete with two-year starter Dan Moore at left tackle.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Jones spent just three seasons at Georgia and didn’t start full time until 2022 when he started 15 games as the Bulldogs repeated as national champions. He also started the final four games of the 2021 season.

Benton lettered all four seasons he attended Wisconsin, and he was a third-team all-conference selection as a senior in 2022. Anchoring the middle of the Badgers defense, Benton had 36 tackles, including 10 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks.

Like the Steelers, Wisconsin plays a 3-4 defense, and the school has produced several defensive players for the Steelers, including outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig and defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk.

The Steelers signed their other draft picks in May.