Alex Highsmith is a third year player out of Charlotte. He was drafted in the third round of the 2020 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted with intentions to eventually be the starter once guys like Bud Dupree have moved on. That is exactly where he is now. Alex has been a very productive player since entering the league and its no surprise he started 2022 off with a bang. Let’s break down his play in week one against the Bengals.
Alex Highsmith Week One Performance
Highsmith was a man amongst boys out there. He ended the day with nine tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. It just felt like he was in the backfield every play after bull rushing his opponent and making his presence felt. He has been quoted many times saying he has a goal in mind, a double digit sack season. So far he is off to a hot start being just about a third of the way there. I have high hopes and expectations for him and believe he will have a huge breakout season that we all expected last year.
Highsmith in 2021
Last year he ended the season with six sacks in 2021. Not a bad stat line for a guy who is on a loaded defense like the Steelers but it felt that people expected more. I am here to say that was a fluke and here is why, injuries. The Steelers had countless injuries on the D-line and a real lack of depth. With Tj Watt missing a game and a half, Tyson Alualu being out for the season and Tuitt also not playing. This allowed for teams to game plan against Highsmith much more aggressively. He took on more double teams and chip blocks from the tight ends and running backs. Even so, he still put up great numbers which shows his ability as a true pass rusher.
Highsmith is a high character guy and loved by fans and his teammates in the locker room. He is the absolute definition of what it means to be a Steeler. A classy player who does great work in the community and is a monster on the field. I hope Alex stays a Steeler for the long run but I would not put it past him to go out there and ball. What I mean by that, he will have a career year. With that being said he is nearing the end of his rookie contract so extension conversations will start soon for him. I fully expect him to price himself out of Pittsburgh after this season. I also do expect/hope that a guy with that level of character and dedication he could take the hometown discount to push this already great defense to elite status.
My sack projection for Alex Highsmith in the 2022 season: 12.5
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