Steelers’ Herbig brothers enjoy family affair with defensive tackle Keeanu Benton
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Nate and Nick Herbig can be forgiven if they would like to make a correction to the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp roster.
Along with Cameron and Connor Heyward, they are listed as the only other set of brothers among the 90 players training daily at Saint Vincent.
But, in their opinion, the Steelers did not designate a third member of their family:
Defensive tackle Keeanu Benton.
“That’s my brother,” Nate Herbig said Tuesday. “Anything I do with Nick, he’s included. We’ve developed such a strong bond that he’s really my brother. He’d do anything for me, and I’d do anything for him.”
It doesn’t matter that Benton doesn’t carry the family name, isn’t a native of Hawaii and doesn’t have the same DNA as the Herbigs.
He’s one of them. Just ask Nick, who echoed the same response as his older sibling, Nate.
“We’ve been friends for a while now,” he said. “He’s like my brother.”
The trio forged a bond that began a few years ago at Wisconsin and resurfaced with a reunion on the Steelers that, a few months ago, had the same odds of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot.
Nate Herbig, the oldest of the three at the ripe age of 25, was the first to arrive when he left the New York Jets to sign a two-year contract in free agency. He will compete for a spot on the interior of the Steelers offensive line.
Then, the Steelers selected two of the Badgers’ best defensive players, snagging defensive tackle Benton, 22, with their second pick of the second round and using their fourth-round selection on Nick, a 21-year-old outside linebacker.
“I always knew Keeanu,” Nate Herbig said. “When I’d go to Wisconsin to visit my brother, he’d be over at the house. This offseason, going through the process, we would be working out with him, living with him. Hanging out every day has made our bond like that.”
When the predraft process began for the Wisconsin products, Nate Herbig was preparing for free agency, which began in mid-March. The Herbigs and Benton had no idea they would end up at the same destination.
“Nate knew he wasn’t going to be on the Jets anymore,” Benton said. “We always talked about it. Then, draft day came around. It was surreal.”
The Steelers target Wisconsin defensive players — T.J. Watt and Isaiahh Loudermilk are other examples — because the Badgers deploy a similar 3-4 scheme, so it wasn’t surprising they doubled down in this draft given Benton and Nick Herbig were highly rated at their positions.
“We talked about playing against each other and jersey swapping, but now we’re on the same team,” Nick Herbig said. “It’s kind of a dream come true.”
As a pass rusher, Nick Herbig hasn’t gotten many chances to square up against his older brother in blocking drills. Not so for Benton, whose spot in the middle of the defensive line puts him nose-to-nose with Nate Herbig at center or guard.
“He’s a guy who I asked to watch my film in college to see what I can do better,” Benton said. “He knows most of my moves, but it’s still good to go against somebody who knows what you can do and can’t stop it at times.”
In those moments when they are paired against each other, the friendship between Benton and Nate Herbig takes a back seat.
“He’s definitely rough,” Benton said. “He doesn’t take it easy at all.”
Added Nate Herbig: “It’s nothing ever personal. We talk trash to each other, but it’s all love at the end of the day. If he beats me, he beats me. If I beat him, I beat him. It’s all part of it.”
Nate Herbig naturally is biased about his younger brother, and he can’t believe Nick remained on the draft board until the fourth round. He’s equally bullish on Benton even if they aren’t biological brothers.
“He’s going to be a great player,” he said. “They drafted him for a reason. It’s a great draft class. He’s going to be a stud for this team for a long time.”