Steelers star T.J. Watt believes Alex Highsmith will ‘make teams pay’ in 2021

The Steelers lost Bud Dupree to the Titans this offseason, but here’s why T.J. Watt thinks that Alex Highsmith is going to ‘make teams pay’ this year. 

Losing Bud Dupree could prove to be a big loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021… or perhaps not. After looking like a potential bust to begin his NFL career, Dupree finally kicked things into gear in his fifth season in 2019. He followed up his most productive campaign with another solid showing in 2020 before an ACL tear cost him the last five games of the season.

Dupree is set to make a full recovery and be ready for the 2021 season, but it won’t be with the Steelers. The former first-round draft choice signed a lucrative new deal with the Tennessee Titans this offseason – leaving Pittsburgh thin at the edge defender position.

However, two-time All-Pro T.J. Watt does not seem to be worried at all. During a recent media session, Watt continually reiterated his confidence in the second-year outside linebacker, Alex Highsmith. Not only does Watt believe that Highsmith will hold down the fort after the loss of Bud Dupree, he thinks he will “make teams pay” if they try to slide more attention in Watt’s direction.

Watt continued by saying that he believes Highsmith will quickly gain respect in protection schemes and that he’s confident the young pass rusher will win one-on-ones. Watt also noted the great repertoire of moves the young pass rusher already possesses to go with his ability to cover the run.

What could Highsmith offer Steelers in 2021?

It’s hard to set the bar too high before we see Alex Highsmith in a full-time role for more than just a few games, but it’s not hard to see why T.J. Watt has such high hopes for the young edge defender. After working his way up the ladder to become a full-time starter at Charlotte, Highsmith quickly became one of the most productive defenders in all of college football over the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Highsmith is a quality athlete with pass rush moves that are already beyond his years. We witnessed this often when he was on the field as a rookie in 2020. He’s got a lethal inside spin move and the bend and dip to win against slower offensive tackles on the edge. The play that immediately comes to mind is his stutter-step and outside dip against Pro Bowl offensive tackle, Orlando Brown. Highsmith showcased such good dip and speed around the edge that Brown completely whiffed on him – resulting in a sack for Highsmith.

Highsmith is not the same level of explosion/speed athlete as Bud Dupree, and he’s considerably smaller (approximately a 20-pound difference between the two players). But what he lacks in size, he makes up for with a repertoire of pass rush moves and potentially, even more, pass rush upside than Dupree.

As a former zero-star recruit and college walk-on, we knew that effort is never going to be an issue for Highsmith. He has fought tooth and nail for the opportunity laid before him, and he’s not going to give his starting spot away down the road without a fight.

It’s not surprising to see T.J. Watt praise a young player who will be starting across from him in 2021, but I genuinely believe that Watt has been impressed with Highsmith’s progress and that the young Steelers defender really will “make teams pay” in 2021.