Edge rusher is one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ greatest strengths. T.J. Watt is one of the best players in the league, and Alex Highsmith is great as well. However, the depth behind them is just as important. Nick Herbig is a talented young pass rusher, and the Steelers just spent a fourth-round pick on Jack Sawyer. While that might not have been one of their most pressing needs in the draft, Will Howard feels like Sawyer and the Steelers are a perfect fit.
“Seeing Jack get drafted to the Steelers, I was like, ‘That just adds up. That just makes sense,'” Howard said Friday during an interview with Missi Matthews that was posted on the team’s Twitter account. “A gritty guy, blue collar, going to the Steelers, it just felt like it made sense.”
Sawyer does seem to fit the Steelers’ identity. While they have decades of history, the Steelers, at their core, usually a tough, physical team. That also describes Sawyer pretty well. He isn’t the most athletic player in the world, but he’s got a high motor and a desire to make big plays.
In four years at Ohio State, Sawyer posted 23 sacks and 29 tackles for loss. He was also a key reason why Ohio State won the national championship last year. Despite his limitations as a pass rusher, he did some of his best work when the lights were the brightest.
Howard and Sawyer were teammates at Ohio State last year, and now, they’re together again in Pittsburgh. While they play on different sides of the ball, the two seem to be close, doing several activities together since being drafted. Howard knows what kind of person Sawyer is, so his analysis on Sawyer’s fit in Pittsburgh isn’t baseless.
Will Sawyer become a superstar? Maybe not, but having quality edge depth is extremely important in today’s NFL. Look at the Philadelphia Eagles last year. They had a healthy stable of pass rushers who played a massive part in their Super Bowl-winning season.
Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig are incredible, but they can’t play every snap in a long season. Sawyer needs work as a pass rusher, but he’s a solid run defender. Hopefully, in a supplementary role this year, he can help keep Watt and Highsmith fresh down the stretch. Fatigue was an issue for the Steelers last year. Sawyer could help prevent that from happening again.
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