After landing defensive lineman Derrick Harmon in the first round and running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers entered Day 3 with some significant needs. With their first pick of Day 3 at No. 123 overall in the fourth round, the Steelers went off the board a bit, selecting Ohio State OLB Jack Sawyer, adding more depth to the position group behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig.
Though it wasn’t considered a need, NFL Network’s Charles Davis and Daniel Jeremiah understood the pick. Davis compared Sawyer to former Steelers and New England Patriots’ OLB Mike Vrabel, while Jeremiah made it clear that the Steelers have their type and will always build up the defense.
“Pittsburgh knows what they like and what fits, not only for their team, their organization, but inside their division. This is a bully division, CD [Charles Davis]. We talk about it all the time, and that’s his game,” Jeremiah said of the Steelers’ selection of Sawyer. “It’s physical. He’ll rag-doll tight ends at the point of attack as a rusher. It’s a lot of power. He’s gonna get to your chest as soon as he can. He’s gonna try and run right through you.
“The hands, you saw this was the walk-off here. This was a game-winner against Texas. Gets the sack, gets him scooping and scoring as well. He just looks like a Pittsburgh Steeler, man. They have a type.”
The Steelers certainly do have a type, and Sawyer’s old-school, physical, no-nonsense approach fits that. He stayed in school at Ohio State as an Ohio native to try to lead the Buckeyes to the mountaintop, and he did just that as Ohio State won the national championship. 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.
Now, he heads to Pittsburgh, where he’ll get a chance to play behind the likes of Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig early on in his career.
“It’s absolutely perfect. The outside linebackers is the engine that drives their defense, and they’re always fortifying it,” Davis said of the Sawyer pick. “Alex Highsmith on one side, TJ Watt on the other, Nick Herbig has come in and played well for them. They were looking for more people.
“Jack Sawyer fits perfectly for what they’re going to do. You mentioned bully. He’s gonna beat you up off the edge.”
There’s no denying he fits the 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 Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig, which sometimes costs them.
Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin stated last season after the trade for Preston Smith that you can never have enough rush men, and that’s what the Steelers are going for here. And they get a guy who screams Steeler.
We’ll see how it pays off.
