3 reasons Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith will impress in his new role

With Bud Dupree out of the season, here are three reasons why Alex Highsmith will impress in his new starting role with the Steelers.

When I saw Bud Dupree go down with a non-contact injury and clutch his knee in the second half against the Ravens, I feared the worst. While Dupree was able to limp off the field, our fears were justified, as it has since been confirmed that he has a torn ACL and that his 2020 season will be over. The former 2015 first-round draft choice by the Steelers was finally starting to come into his own and he was really playing at a high level. Now, Pittsburgh will take the next man up approach.

Ola Adeniyi is a player that many fans and writers thought would be the first guy off the bench in the outside linebacker rotation this year. But that was before we discovered just how impressive Alex Highsmith has been. Here are three reasons why Highsmith will impress in his new, expanded role moving forward:

Highsmith has proven to be a fast learner

If we are to be completely honest with ourselves, there isn’t anyone out there who realistically had high expectations for Alex Highsmith in his rookie season. The 2020 third-round draft choice was coming out of a small football program in Charlotte and was a former college walk-on. However, he has wasted no time in proving doubters wrong.

Despite the massive leap in competition from college to the NFL stage, Highsmith has been thoroughly impressive in his first NFL season. Much of this has to do with him being an incredibly fast learner. He has showcased the ability to drop in coverage effortlessly despite barely doing so in college. It’s not often a team can trust a third-round rookie the way the Steelers have trusted Highsmith.