Considering the Pittsburgh Steelers’ depth at outside linebacker, drafting Ohio State EDGE rusher Jack Sawyer with their fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft may seem surprising. But in the later rounds of the draft, teams look for players with upside, and Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is confident that Sawyer will reach his full potential.
“He is a tone setter,” Austin said Saturday on Steelers Nation Radio. “He is a guy that is gonna be available and gonna be around. I think that this is a guy that is gonna line up and put his hand in the dirt and be a really good football player. He’s gonna reach, I think when you talk about guys like this, these are the guys that always reach their ceiling. Whatever their ceiling is as a player, they get there.
“This guy’s gonna be whatever he can, ’cause he’s gonna max out, and he’s gonna get the best of him whenever he steps on the field.”
Sawyer continually improved throughout his four-year career at Ohio State. In 2024, he recorded 59 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and nine sacks as he helped the Buckeyes win the national championship.
While the NFL is a different beast, having the mentality to keep improving is key for players trying to reach their ceiling. Seeing Sawyer getting better year after year is a good indicator that he has that mentality.
With the Steelers, Sawyer may struggle to see playing time early with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig ahead of him in the outside linebacker rotation, but Sawyer will be able to learn from them.
In a pre-draft scouting report, Steven Pavelka noted that Sawyer often made plays in big moments and has a solid floor. One of those big plays was Sawyer’s strip-sack and touchdown in Ohio State’s College Football Playoff win against Texas.
The Jack Sawyer scoop and score versus Texas #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/preMMAMbQA
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) April 26, 2025
Sawyer likely won’t make much of an impact defensively this season, but if Austin is right and he reaches his ceiling, this pick could look really good in a few years.
