3 reasons Alex Highsmith will be among most valuable Steelers in 2021
By Tommy Jaggi
There isn’t enough talk about Alex Highsmith right now, but here’s why he will be one of the most valuable Pittsburgh Steelers moving forward.
For the first time this offseason, Alex Highsmith is drawing a little buzz on social media. The former 2020 third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers was recently engaged to married, and we wish nothing but the best for this incredible young man moving forward. While this is terrific news, I find it peculiar that nobody is talking about what a pivotal player Highsmith is to the organization moving forward.
After losing both Bud Dupree and Ola Adeniyi in free agency this offseason and doing nothing in the way of replacing them in free agency, the Steelers then proceeded by not taking an edge defender until the 6th round of the NFL Draft. It may have been even later if Quincy Roche had not fallen into their lap.
This tells you what they think about Highsmith, and too many fans are underselling his value to the team. Here’s why Alex Highsmith will be among the most valuable Steelers players moving forward:
Promising upside
I often talk about Highsmith’s collegiate career and how he worked his way up from a former walk-on player at Charlotte to become a third-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But in addition to an incredible backstory, Highsmith also has loads of upside at the edge defender position.
At 6’3” and 248 pounds with over 33” arms, Highsmith is tailor-made to play outside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s defense. In addition, his 40-yard dash, broad jump, and 20-yard shuttle all rank between the 74th and 91st percentile compared to NFL edge defenders, according to Mockdraftable.com. These traits show up on film early and often.
Something that cannot be measured is his bend, dip, and remarkable pass rush moves that are beyond his years. Highsmith has promising upside as the long-term option opposite of T.J. Watt for the Steelers.