Pittsburgh Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith has proven himself as a pass rusher since entering the league as a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has accumulated 34 sacks, 29 quarterback hits, and 123 hurries in four NFL seasons.
It’s what Highsmith loves to do. But he also knows that in Pittsburgh, he is required to be a well-rounded outside linebacker. So while he’s always looking to improve as a pass rusher, he’s also trying to get better in coverage.
“Just being here and being in this system, I know that we drop a good bit,” Highsmith said on Tuesday’s episode of the Green Light Podcast. “So that’s something I’ve been working on as well. I always prefer to rush and get after the quarterback, but I don’t want to be a liability when I’m in coverage. So I want to be the best that I can be when I do that.”
Dropping into coverage isn’t something that’s foreign to Highsmith. He didn’t immediately start out as a pass rusher at Charlotte. He recounted that he was a true off-ball outside linebacker to start college. That’s why his sack numbers were so low early in his career. He only had three sacks through his first two seasons. It was only once he had the opportunity to move closer to the defensive line that he showed his prowess as a pass rusher. He had three sacks as a junior (albeit with 17.5 tackles for a loss) before exploding for 14 sacks his senior season.
Highsmith has also shown flashes of playmaking ability in coverage during his time in Pittsburgh. He has three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown in 2023. Per Pro Football Reference, quarterbacks only had a rating of 37.1 when targeting Highsmith in coverage during the 2023 season. He also had a career-high two interceptions and one pass broken up. It looks like he’s already improving in coverage.
Highsmith and Steelers fans alike would love to see him produce more as a pass rusher in 2024. He only had seven sacks in 2023 despite 12 quarterback hits and 52 hurries. He wants to convert those pressures into sacks in 2024. Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora has some thoughts on how Highsmith might do that by engaging in the chess match that is the tactics of pass rushing.
He just knows that he will be asked to drop back as well. So when that does happen, he wants to be the best he can be. That’s a fantastic mentality to have.
