3 small school prospects that could be steals for the Steelers after 2020

The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves a gem in rookie 3rd round pick out of Charlotte, Alex Highsmith.

Highsmith will probably be the starter in 2021 for the Steelers, this is assuming that Bud Dupree does go elsewhere in search of more money. With that being said, this is certainly not the first time the Steelers have found great talent outside of the power conferences in college football. Ben Roethlisberger was from the University of Miami(Ohio). Antonio Brown and Diontae Johnson were from Toledo and Central Michigan. Even outside of Pittsburgh, teams have found gems from small schools with names like Shannon Sharpe, Malcolm Butler, Steve McNair, and Antonio Gates. The list is rather long.

With all of this in mind, that means that there are bound to be some gems to be found in the later rounds, or possibly undrafted from some of these smaller schools. Often times seeing players in smaller schools with less talent around them can really show you what they can overcome. It is intriguing to think about all of the different options all over the country. What makes it difficult is there are valid reasons a lot of these guys didn’t get offers or opportunities from bigger schools.

However, there are a couple of players, especially with who I think maybe on their way out the door in 2021, that could provide good depth. More importantly, they have the potential to blossom into full-time players down the road. The Steelers may not have to draft any of them. There is a real possibility they could go undrafted for any number of reasons. With that being said, just because a prospect is from a small school, that doesn’t mean that can’t be successful in the NFL. Here is my first group of small school prospects that could be steals for the Steelers.