There’s a lot of excitement for the Pittsburgh Steelers around their first two 2025 NFL draft picks — defensive lineman Derrick Harmon and running back Kaleb Johnson. There’s plenty of hype around sixth-round quarterback Will Howard as well. But Thursday, Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith made sure to give fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer some love.
Highsmith sent a strong message to reporters on the rookie edge rusher.
“He’s gonna be a dog for us. Like I said, he’s got his right head on his shoulders. He works hard,” Highsmith said, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s got the right mindset. It’s been cool being able to interact with him and help him out.
“I came in as a rookie, and T.J. [Watt] and Bud [Dupree] helped me out a lot as well. That’s one thing I want to be able to pour into the new guys that are coming in.”
The Steelers drafted Sawyer at No. 123 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Although he was a Day 3 selection, similar to Howard, there’s excitement around Sawyer because of what he did for the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes last year.
Sawyer posted nine sacks with three forced fumbles and two fumble returns for touchdowns. One of those touchdown returns came late in the fourth quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinals.
He also had seven pass defenses with nine tackles for loss and an interception in 16 games last year.
Rookie Jack Sawyer Receiving Help From Steelers Pro Bowl Edge Rushers
As a third-round pick, Sawyer is likely a developmental project for Pittsburgh. That should be perfectly fine for the Steelers.
In 2025, edge rusher starters T.J. Watt and Highsmith will return for Pittsburgh. Those two combined for 17.5 sacks last season, and that was arguably a “down year” for the duo.
Nick Herbig will also be back as the Steelers No. 3 edge rusher. Herbig built on a strong rookie campaign, posting 5.5 sacks with five tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits with four forced fumbles in 13 games last season.
That group has been tremendously beneficial for Sawyer in offseason workouts.
“It’s been a good experience so far and they’ve helped me with any type of questions, making sure I’m picking the plays up well and understand what I’m doing right now. That’s the biggest thing,” Sawyer told Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley.
Sawyer suggested he is perfectly fine approaching 2025 more as a developmental season.
“It’s what I wanted to do, come in a group like this, and be able to learn, and watch these guys, and see how they attack every day as a professional,” he said. “Being able to do that the last couple weeks already has been really good for me. It’s been exciting.
“I’m really excited for the future, going forward, and beginning camp with the pads on, seeing even more so what they’re like, and how they go about their daily routines, and what they do post-practice, that type of stuff. So, it has been good.”
Steelers Edge Rushing Depth Entering 2025
Pittsburgh can have “kid gloves” with Sawyer because of the organization’s edge rushing depth.
Behind Herbig, the Steelers also have veterans Jeremiah Moon and Eku Leota on their offseason roster. Those two edge rushers combined to play 10 games for Pittsburgh last season.
Sawyer will likely enter the 2025 regular season as the team’s No. 4 edge rusher. He seems to be in a similar spot as Herbig was two years ago.
The Steelers also drafted Herbig in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. But even with Watt and Highsmith, Herbig has earned the right for more playing time going forward.
If Sawyer fulfills his promise, he could push for significant playing time down the road.
