Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers have a major concern regarding their pass rush after the team totaled 20 sacks last season. However, with Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams returning from injury, along with the drafting of Romello Height, the Niners are hoping for a better group.
Nonetheless, many speculate the Niners will go the veteran free-agent route. Names such as Joey Bosa and Jadeveon Clowney have emerged, but no move yet from the 49ers’ end on any of these veterans.
Still, could San Francisco go the trade route? Based on the initial report from NFL insider Jason La Canfora, which revealed that the Niners are among the teams interested in Alex Highsmith, 49ers insider Grant Cohn shared what the team could give up for the Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher.
“You’re going to have Nick Bosa on one side playing wide nine, and on the other side you’re going to have a stand-up outside linebacker, and that’s not Maxx Crosby, Joey Bosa, or Myles Garrett,”Cohn said on the June 9 edition of “49ers Collective.”
“Still, you would find a way to get Myles Garrett on your defense; you would work it into what they’re trying to build. It seems like Alex Highsmith is a much better fit, and I bet you could get him for a third-round pick.
“And would you rather spend a third-round pick on a 29-year-old edge rusher coming off a great year, or spend it on a guy most people project to go in rounds five or six? I would take Alex Highsmith; I think they should. I don’t know if they will, though.”
Is Alex Highsmith Unhappy With the Steelers?
Moreover, KNBR’s Larry Krueger noted that he spoke with a Steelers source, who shared details regarding Highsmith’s current situation in Pittsburgh.
“He is, $17.7 million is what his cap figure is,” Krueger said in the same episode. “So he wouldn’t be cheap in that regard. But what I heard from a Steelers source was just that Nate Herbig signed that extension. Watt’s obviously getting paid. And that, Highsmith, is a little unhappy. I will say this: I love his profile.
“He went from walk-on at Charlotte to All-Conference, and when you go walk-on to All-Conference, that’s a great distance. That means you work hard and that means you mean something. So I like what he brings. He’s also in the prime of his career, he’s not old, and I think more pass rush is always good.”
Could 49ers Look at Pass Rusher With the NFC West?
Meanwhile, Highsmith isn’t the only player that Cohn would like to see the Niners target in a trade.On the June 2 edition of “49ers Collective,” Cohn floated that the team should consider trading forArizona Cardinals veteran Josh Sweat as a cheaper alternative toLas Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby.
“What I would like to do, if they cannot get Maxx Crosby, if that is too expensive, and if the Raiders do not want to trade him, what about Josh Sweat? He is clearly available,” Cohn said. “I do not think it would take a first-round pick.
“I do not think you would have to trade a player to get him. He plays that outside linebacker, on-ball position that Romello Height and Luke Gifford play. I mean, he would be better than them.”