After the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first two selections of the 2025 NFL Draft in Oregon DL Derrick Harmon and Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson, the vision of the Steelers of getting back to that physical, nasty team to play against was starting to take shape.
Leading up to the fourth round, it felt like the Steelers could go in a number of directions with the pick at No. 123 overall, whether that was another defensive lineman, an offensive lineman, quarterback, wide receiver, or even defensive back.
Instead, the Steelers zagged and landed Ohio State outside linebacker Jack Sawyer, adding a physical presence to their OLB room. Though OLB wasn’t viewed as a real need, the Steelers got great value with Sawyer, adding a player they believe fits their mold perfectly.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter views it the same way.
In a piece ranking his five favorite picks of every round, Sawyer was his favorite pick of the fourth round, stating that the Steelers’ selection of Sawyer was “downright criminal.”
“Sawyer is slated to be a contributor behind Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt as a rookie, but there’s always a chance he plays more snaps early in his career than expected,” Reuter writes, according to NFL.com. “I figured the Ohio State star might not go in the top 50 because of his lack of twitch on the edge, but it was downright criminal for Pittsburgh to sang him in the fourth round.”
The Steelers simply have a type, and Sawyer fits that type, period. He’s an old-school, no-nonsense, hard-nosed football player who also serves as a great leader from his time in college. He stayed home at Ohio State as a Columbus native to try to lead the Buckeyes to the mountaintop, and he did just that as Ohio State won the national championship in 2024.
Sawyer helped with that, thanks to his strip-sack of Texas QB Quinn Ewers in the College Football Playoff, returning it for a score to seal the win.
There’s no denying he fits the Steelers’ mold. The concerns are addressing a depth spot at OLB4 in the fourth round, with some other needs. But depth has been a concern in recent years behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, which sometimes costs the Steelers.
You can never have enough pass rushers in the NFL, and the Steelers believe in that heavily. That’s why they traded for Preston Smith last year before releasing him this offseason. Though Sawyer has short arms and didn’t test all that well, he has a relentless motor and has that Steelers DNA.
He might not have a huge role early on, but he solidifies depth and gives the Steelers a nice, young player to develop behind their big three off the edge.
