There’s been a groundswell of optimism over the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie class. Even if marred by injury, DL Derrick Harmon looked the part this summer. Kaleb Johnson didn’t light the world on fire but got better each time inside a stadium. Yahya Black might be a Day Three steal. Will Howard had his first camp interrupted by a broken finger but looked composed before exiting. Fourth-round OLB Jack Sawyer earned summer buzz that’s faded over the course of three preseason games. A twinge of disappointment that he didn’t post gaudy numbers or impact plays. Both of those fair assessments. The conclusion is not. Sawyer had a fine first outing. Just look a little deeper.
The numbers. Sawyer finished exhibition action with eight tackles and zero sacks. Ho-hum, nothing that gets you giddy. However, per our charting, he had seven pressures on just 57 rushes, one every 8.1 rushes. That’s a great number. For comparison’s sake, that’s nearly-identical to what Nick Herbig registered during the 2024 regular season (8.2). Of course, it’s August versus September-January. Two different levels of competition, and Sawyer will have to convert those pressures into sacks. But there’s underlying positive data here.
Most importantly, Sawyer played a high volume of snaps: 100 on defense, 41 on special teams. He was just one of four Steelers to reach triple-digit defensive snaps and fell just a few shy of the lead, CB James Pierre’s 107. His special teams volume tied for third-most on the team, matching CB D’Shawn Jamison and only surpassed by SSebastian Castro’s 50 and ILB Carson Bruener’s 64.
Not every rookie can handle that, and Sawyer himself surely had to push through. At Ohio State, he wasn’t running down kicks and punts. This summer, there wasn’t time to catch your breath. Run 40-yards downfield on a punt, keep your helmet on, and go play outside linebacker. That challenges conditioning. A player coming fresh off the bench is going to look better than one grinding things out for Teryl Austin and Danny Smith. The fact he received all those snaps speaks to a baseline level of trust coaches had in him to handle it.
This summer was about surviving. Digesting the playbook on defense and special teams, do your job, and compete hard every snap. Sawyer showed it. There were promising reps. He repeatedly won as a pass rusher and run stopper in the finale against Carolina, showing good hand use to shed blocks. Here’s a couple reps, No. 33 at left outside linebacker in all three.
Sawyer’s effective on stunts, drawing on his days at Ohio State that utilized it more than other defenses. It fits well in Pittsburgh’s scheme.
When drafted, my hope and expectation was for Sawyer to become a quality No. 3 rotational rusher who plays the run hard. The upside wasn’t there to become a high-end starter or even a Herbig-type. A lack of top athleticism limits the ceiling.
But Sawyer showed this summer he’s a smart and no-nonsense rusher and strong against the run. If that’s all he becomes, it’s a win as a fourth round pick. Keep in mind he’s only a rookie and the game will slow down for him even as the competition becomes greater. Sawyer didn’t need to leap off the page this year. He’s on solid footing.
