Stepping into a deep, talented room with players still at the top of their game can be a bit intimidating for young NFL players, especially if that room isn’t all that receptive to young talent coming in and trying to take snaps and roles away from more established pieces.
It can be messy.
Fortunately, that’s not the case in Pittsburgh, especially in its outside linebackers room.
For rookie Jack Sawyer, a fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, he’s stepped into a loaded room featuring welcoming players in T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, all of whom have helped Sawyer get off to a strong start in his NFL career.
Appearing on The Christian Kuntz Podcast Thursday, Sawyer detailed just how the vets in the OLB room have helped him so far.
“That’s what’s cool, too, about the culture we have in Pittsburgh. Man, T.J. and Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig all in my room have been phenomenal for me. Those guys have been better than I could have ever imagined coming into this room and them taking the time to help me and be there for me,” Sawyer said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “Giving me little tips and tricks to help myself along the way. ‘Cause you know, like it was those first weeks of camp, man, it was hard. You didn’t know what to expect, you didn’t know what to do.”
Coming into his first NFL training camp, it’s understandable that Sawyer wasn’t quite sure what to expect or how to take care of his body. Sure, he went through camps in college, but being a professional athlete is a different beast entirely. Being in a room with Watt, Highsmith and Herbig helped show him what to do, how to do it, and has him contributing early defensively due to injury.
With Highsmith going down with an ankle injury in Week 2, Sawyer stepped up and played 26 snaps against the Seattle Seahawks. He also played 15 snaps in the Week 1 game against the New York Jets with Herbig out with a hamstring injury.
Through two games, Sawyer has played 41 snaps and has handled himself well. He holds a 67.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and has had some decent reps against the run. He also recorded his first NFL sack in Week 2, one he thanked Watt for after the star pass rusher drew three blockers to him, leaving Sawyer free.
There wasn’t much required from Sawyer on the rush, but he’s still been able to take things from the games of the big three at OLB in the Steelers’ room. It helps they’ve been willing to teach, too.
“For me, it may not be like the whole like, ‘Whoa!’ Right? But it’s more like ‘Oh, okay, that’s how you’re able to do this that good,”” Sawyer said of how he approaches things in the OLB room. “You’ve practiced this certain little technique on a move that most people would never even notice if you’re just turning the tape on or watching game on Sundays. It’s just the little stuff. Like, T.J. and Alex and those guys and Nick [have] taught me with the footwork when you’re hitting the move. How you’re stepping through, what to look for pre-snap? Stuff like that.
“All of that stuff. And they’ve been, like I said before, they’ve been phenomenal with helping me and wanting to help and teach me.”
That’s the culture in Pittsburgh. It’s all about trying to win, and that means offering as much help as possible within your own position room. Watt, Highsmith and Herbig are all well established in the NFL. They’re great players and pass rushers.
They know that the Steelers can be even better with an additional body playing good football in the room, too. And Sawyer is reaping the benefits of that.
Check out the full episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast below.
