Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ selection of Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft raised some eyebrows, as the outside linebacker position wasn’t a major need. The Steelers already have a solid trio in T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.
But after getting annihilated by the Baltimore Ravens on the ground in the Wild Card playoff game this past January, the Steelers are looking for anyway possible to bolster their run defense. That’s where Sawyer comes into the picture.
“You’re talking about a 260-pound man who has his mean on half the time and probably more than half the time, and that’s really a good thing, because you got to be able to set edges and do things,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said following the selection of Sawyer. “And we know in the AFC North, if you’re not good, stop and run, that’s going to be a problem. And so, he helps us in that area. I think he also helps us in special teams, because you’re talking about a big guy that’s not afraid of contact and will be able to do some things.”
Sawyer, 22, may seem like he could get a bit lost on Pittsburgh’s depth chart, but he came at great value, ranked as the No. 67 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge rusher will likely start by playing special teams and helping to fill the void left by veteran Preston Smith, who served as the team’s fourth edge rusher in 2024.
In four seasons at Ohio State, Sawyer registered 144 tackles (68 solo), 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, one interception and 10 passes defended.
The Steelers had no answer for the Ravens’ read-option attack with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in the Wild Card playoff loss.
Midway through the third quarter, the Ravens had 242 yards rushing, which is the most rushing yards allowed by the Steelers in a postseason game. The previous high was 232 yards at Oakland in 1973. Baltimore finished with 299 yards rushing (6.0 average). At the end of the night, the Ravens finished with a whopping 299 yards rushing.
All-Pro running back Derrick Henry broke the record with a 44-yard touchdown run up the middle to enhance Baltimore’s lead to 28-7 at the 5:49 mark of the third quarter.
Henry finished with 186 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He’s averaged a whopping 7.2 yards per carry. Henry’s 186 yards on the ground also set the all-time playoff rushing record against the Steelers. The previous record was 166, set by Curtis Martin in the 1996 Divisional Round game.
The embarrassing playoff loss to Baltimore played a big factor in the Steelers’ draft plans. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin even admitted it during an interview with NFL Network.
“I doubt that I had even gotten in the shower yet,” Tomlin said when asked how soon after the loss did he start think about improving the...
