Men lie, women lie, and stats lie, too. At least, that’s the case with Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith. According to co-star T.J. Watt, the edge player is enjoying another dominant season, but you might not be able to tell from his stat line.
“I think he’s had a great year this year,” Watt told reporters via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “He plays the run just as well as any other edge out there and obviously gets after the passer, so I’m not too worried about his production.”
To the untrained eye, Highsmith’s season seems respectable, but nothing to write home about. Through eight games, he’s tallied 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss. Two timely forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown add shine to his numbers, and when you look into the deeper metrics, you get a greater appreciation for Highsmith’s game.
Per Pro Football Focus, Highsmith ranks 14th among NFL EDGE rushers with an 87.9 grade to go along with 24 QB hurries and is narrowly out of the top 20 in pass-rush win rate.
Along with rushing the passer, Highsmith has been great in coverage. As evidenced by his interception which he returned for a touchdown, the 26-year-old has posted a 39.6 coverage rating. Maybe Mike Tomlin should give Highsmith a look at cornerback with Levi Wallace sitting at 92.6 and Patrick Peterson at 112.2.
I kid, I kid.
Not to mention, Highsmith rushes from the left side of the offensive line. That means he, unlike Watt who lines up on the right, faces the premier pass protectors in the league, like the 49ers’ Trent Williams. When that is put into perspective with his grade, hurries, win rate, coverage, and day-to-day stats, his season becomes that much more impressive.
It’s easy to look at Watt’s gaudy stat line and wonder why that same level of production isn’t seen on the opposite side of the field. But as Watt stated, all stats aren’t the same, and much of the time they hide a player’s true impact.
“I think he’s producing at a great rate,” said Watt. “It’s not always about the overall stats about how a guy’s playing.”
Expect Highsmith’s stat line to climb closer to his 14.5 sack total from a season ago.
