Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith is ready for his increased role on the team

Prime to fill in as the Steelers’ newest full-time starter at OLB, Alex Highsmith, relates year two to where it all started.

“I did see those reports, and it just gave me more motivation to work harder.” A quote not said once but repeated twice by Pittsburgh Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith when asked in a recent press conference if he saw the media suggestions throughout pre-draft that the Steelers should take an OLB.

Set to take over as the robin of an EDGE duo that once featured TJ Watt and now Tennessee Titan Bud Dupree, expectations are high. However, Highsmith is not rattled by them. Resembling his poise on-field in 2020 after Dupree fell to injury, his response should get all fans excited.

”I’m coming in with an expectation and mindset of being the best I can be and stepping into this role. I know I have to make the most of it. The same thing happened to me in college. I didn’t end up starting my first couple of years in college, then ended up starting and took advantage of my opportunity. That’s something I’ve been working for in the off-season & something I will continue working for.”

Alex Highsmith’s upward climb towards success with Steelers

From walk-on to a starter to All-American, the story of Highsmith at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of dedication and chance, much like the school itself. Only six total football seasons as a college to date, the likeliness that a residing athlete would be drafted in the NFL within its first five years, more specifically a near top-100 pick, was a far-and-away thought.

A slow journey to find the field as a starter, Highsmith wasted no time to showcase his talents when given a chance. In 15 games, he tallied 135 total tackles, 40 TFL, and 18 sacks. However, the point isn’t to revel in the past, instead highlight that when the opportunity has presented itself for Highsmith, production followed.

As stated earlier, Highsmith will be filling in for one-half of an EDGE duo that each tallied eight or more sacks in the past two seasons. Luckily, the better of the two remains on the Black & Gold and should be the perfect mentor for Alex. Even when entering as a rookie in 2020, Watt stated on SiriusXM NFL Radio that “I’m here to help him as much as I possibly can because he’s going to help us win football games down the road.”

Now at that point, the Steelers are essentially in a make-a-deep-run situation for the Super Bowl as QB Ben Roethlisberger edges towards the last days of his career. At least with an increasingly higher chance with Big Ben at the helm, it’ll take the replacements of losses such as Highsmith, CB Cam Sutton, and OL Kendrick Green to exceed all expectations.

Building upon a rookie campaign that consisted of five starts in the last five weeks of the 2020 season, Highsmith totaled 28 combined tackles, 2 TFL, 5 QB hits, and one sack in that span. Merely a preview of his potential, perhaps the benefits of natural growth and a true off-season could make for an impact in 2021 that proves to be an effective player on the professional level.

In other words, it’s another opportunity that repeats history for Highsmith and hopefully resembles the success that came after.