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.
Plays one of the most important positions on the Steelers
Positions of importance are, for the most part, universal in the NFL. In today’s passing league, it’s incredibly difficult to compete without a quality quarterback, while left tackles and cornerbacks are among the highest-paid positions in the league for a reason. I think most general managers would join me in agreeing that edge defenders are among the top 3-4 most important positions in football. For the Steelers specifically, that ranking may even be higher.
Throughout their impressive history, Pittsburgh’s success on the football field has been tied to their edge rushers and the pressure they can generate on the quarterback. No team has been better at drafting and developing talent on the edge, and the Steelers have had some pretty impressive players over the past few decades manning the same role that Alex Highsmith is playing for the team right now.
Some of those players include Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and even a Defensive Player of the Year winner in guys like Joey Porter, Jason Gildon, and James Harrison. Most recently, Bud Dupree was a quality edge defender who recently earned a lucrative contract on the open market. T.J. Watt – who is playing opposite of Highsmith right now – may be the very best in the league at his position, and this duo could prove to be one of the best in the league at getting after quarterbacks in 2021.
The makings of a lifelong Steelers defender
Bare with me, as I’m about to drop some cliche words to describe Alex Highsmith for you: grit, desire, motivation, work ethic, passion. No, I’m not trying to write a script for a coach’s speech in a cheesy sports movie. While these terms often get overused in football, there is no player more deserving of having them attached to their name than Highsmith.
As a player who has worked his tail off with every drop of sweat and blood to get where he is right now, Highsmith has the makings of a life-long Steeler. If Pittsburgh looks for one trait in a defender, it’s the desire to go all-out on each and every play, and I can assure you that Alex Highsmith leaves nothing on the table at the end of the day.
Soon T.J. Watt will be the highest-paid edge defender in the NFL – and for good reason. While the Steelers typically keep one high-profile edge rusher and draft and replace the other, I have a feeling that Highsmith is a player they are going to want to fork up a second contract to. He’s a fiery competitor who plays like each snap could be his last.
When promising, young Steelers are brought up in conversation, fans often levitate to players like Chase Claypool, Devin Bush, or JuJu Smith-Schuster. However, Alex Highsmith deserves to be in this conversation, and he could very well prove to be the most valuable of them all.