Don’t think for a second that Mike Tomlin isn’t aware of what’s happening at quarterback in the AFC North. The Steelers coach has watched the past few years as the Browns, Bengals and Ravens have acquired some top-tier talent.
- Baker Mayfield was the first overall pick of the Browns in 2018. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2017.
- Lamar Jackson was a first-round pick of the Ravens in 2018. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2016.
- Joe Burrow was the first overall pick of the Bengals in this year’s draft. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2019.
No quarterback likes to get hit, and no team in the NFL has sacked the quarterback more than the Steelers over the past three years. So while the rest of the division continues to bolster the quarterback position, the Steelers continue to counter with the ultimate elixir in dealing with a Heisman Trophy talent of a quarterback: the pass rush.
The Steelers used their late third-round compensatory pick on Day 2 of the draft to select uber-talented Charlotte pass-rushing outside linebacker Alex Highsmith.
Moments later, general manager Kevin Colbert reiterated the team’s desire to sign Bud Dupree to a long-term extension before the July 15 franchise tag deadline.
And, oh yeah, they also have Defensive Player of the Year finalist T.J. Watt; surely they will pick up his fifth-year option within the week and next year will hammer out a contract extension that could push $100 million.
So yeah, you can tell how the Steelers plan to deal with a decade worth of Heisman quarterbacks.
“We now have three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks in the AFC North so we have to employ people to hunt those guys and hopefully (Highsmith) will aid us in that regard,” Tomlin said. “Alex gives us quality depth at a position where you need quality rush men.”
It was a must position for the Steelers early in this draft.
The Steelers had relatively no depth at the position heading, making the position a likely add early in the draft. Besides Watt and Dupree, they have Ola Adeniyi and Tuzar Skipper as depth guys. They both have a combined 111 snaps in their career.
Highsmith will contribute on special teams right away, but he said the Steelers told him he was drafted to be the guy behind Dupree and Watt. Both played more than 85 percent of the snaps last year, which is something the Steelers want to get away from.
“I am so excited to learn from those guys,” Highsmith said of Watt and Dupree. “They’re two of the best pass rushers in the league. I’m ready to soak up everything like a sponge and learn, and do what I can to help this team win the Super Bowl.”
The Steelers plan for him to be in the mix with Adeniyi as the top backup this year. Adeniyi put together two solid preseasons the past two years but hasn’t been able to convert that into the regular season.
“He’s not going to get a redshirt year,” Colbert said of Highsmith. “I can’t speak for the coaches but I know Coach Tomlin’s expectations, and this young man will contribute when he’s ready. Physically, he’s 6-3, 244 pounds and he can run. Can he get stronger? Sure, they all can. I don’t think anybody is going into this as a redshirt situation. We are going to expect him to come in and contribute.”
The Steelers got some promising early reports from their scouts on Highsmith. There was a lot of skepticism because he was a zero-star recruit out of high school and had to walk on at Charlotte. Even though he had a 14-sack senior year, he was a relative unknown even after an eye-opening East-West Shrine game in late January.
The Steelers, Colbert and Tomlin specifically, were only one of two teams to talk to Highsmith during the draft process.
“The first time I saw was at the East-West game at practice, and you could tell that he was above where we thought he would be before going into that,” Colbert said. “He kind of stood out in the East-West practices. Long, fast, athletic guy, and he continued to impress us athletically at the combine. When you look at his history and what he did as a walk-on as a special team standout as a young player to put up the stats he did … we don’t think this kid is anywhere near where he might be somewhere down the road.”
The Atheltic’s Jason Butt highlighting his climb from an overlooked high-schooler to a mid-round prospect. He still does not believe he gets the respect he deserves.
Highsmith was not recruited at all out of high school. The only team that showed any interest was Davidson, an FCS program that didn’t offer scholarships. Ultimately, Highsmith asked a rival high school head coach to pass his tape along to his son, who was a graduate assistant at Charlotte.
Highsmith enrolled in Charlotte but didn’t know if he was part of the
program until a month later. He was redshirted then spent two
uneventful years before getting a scholarship before a breakout junior
year. Playing in a 3-4 under former head coach Brad Lambert, Highsmith
was a
4i - technique defensive end. It’s a similar position to what Aaron Smith used to play while with the Steelers, where you can be disruptive but sack opportunities are rare.
Highsmith had only three sacks but was disruptive with 17.5 tackles for losses.
“It was harder for me to get sacks in that spot,” Highsmith said. “It helped a lot when I was moved outside a little more.”
With a new coach and a new scheme his senior year, Highsmith moved outside and his pass-rush numbers skyrocketed.
“I enjoyed getting to know him through the process and having football conversations with him,” Tomlin said. “It’s obvious he’s a technician. He studies the rush element of the play. He took a significant step in 2019 in developing his repertoire.”
Highsmith had 14 sacks and 21.5 tackles for losses as more of a traditional edge rusher as a senior.
“We were impressed with his resume and the development of his skills
over that time,” Tomlin said. “I wouldn’t necessarily call him raw in
terms of techniques when it comes to rush. He’s a football junky in the
way he develops skills relative to his position. Obviously, there is
going to be an adjustment as he transfers to the National Football
League.”4i - technique defensive end. It’s a similar position to what Aaron Smith used to play while with the Steelers, where you can be disruptive but sack opportunities are rare.
Highsmith had only three sacks but was disruptive with 17.5 tackles for losses.
“It was harder for me to get sacks in that spot,” Highsmith said. “It helped a lot when I was moved outside a little more.”
With a new coach and a new scheme his senior year, Highsmith moved outside and his pass-rush numbers skyrocketed.
“I enjoyed getting to know him through the process and having football conversations with him,” Tomlin said. “It’s obvious he’s a technician. He studies the rush element of the play. He took a significant step in 2019 in developing his repertoire.”
Highsmith had 14 sacks and 21.5 tackles for losses as more of a traditional edge rusher as a senior.
Highsmith mostly rushed last year but dropped into coverage more frequently as the season progressed. In the Steelers’ scheme, he will have to be able to cover almost as well as he rushes. The Steelers have a long list of successful conversions of college defensive ends to professional outside linebackers.
The Steelers saw enough from Highsmith at the combine to believe that transition will be smooth.
“We were completely comfortable with his level of pedigree in terms of his ability to move and move in space,” Tomlin said. “The rest of it is just teaching and learning.”
And then get him to hunt down those Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks.
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