3 reasons Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith will impress in his new role
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers rookie has impressed in limited action
Alex Highsmith hasn’t been given a ton of usage in the first half of his rookie season, but his role has expanded as the season has gone on. When he does take the field on defense, good things typically happen, and he has given us no reason to believe that he’s incapable of handling a starting role opposite of T.J. Watt.
In addition to recording 20 tackles, 1.0 sack, 3 tackles for a loss, and 1 interception this year, Highsmith has also been incredibly efficient with his 141 defensive snaps in 2020. According to Pro Football Focus, the rookie edge defender has earned an impressive overall grade of 81.3 on the season. While he has only played 20 percent of defensive snaps this season, this is still very impressive. In comparison, Bud Dupree has earned an overall grade of just 60.2 on the year.
While this is hardly the most important factor, it’s impressive to see how well Highsmith has done with his snaps this year. It’s true that he could see this efficiency dip as he jumps into a starting role, but his play should have us giving him the benefit of the doubt that he can handle this role.