In this dead part of the Steelers’ season, it’s worth taking a closer look at the team’s rookie class. As we never got the chance to do a draft profile on Jack Sawyer earlier this year at BTSC, here’s a scouting report-style breakdown on Pittsburgh’s new linebacker.

Position: Outside linebacker

Class: Senior

Size: 6’4, 260 pounds

Age: 23

Draft round: 4

Stats via Sports Reference

When analyzing Jack Sawyer’s game, there are two undeniable strengths: run defense, and effort.

He’s strong and aware at the point of attack, with above-average hand usage to shed blocks and take down runners. His most consistent aspect of his game is setting the edge. Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin made it clear that’s a trait the team valued when drafting Sawyer, and it’s a skill set that gives the Ohio State product a decently high floor at the NFL level.

That part of Sawyer’s game goes hand in hand with the other major highlight of his profile: effort. Sawyer is a tough, extremely high-motor defender. If the runner is within his radius for a chase-down tackle, you can bet No. 33 will be hot in pursuit.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Sawyer pick when it happened, and still have concerns, but he’s undeniably an easy player to root for. There were countless plays on his 2024 tape just like the one below:

Sawyer’s playing style results in his ability to make plays in the clutch, underlined by his sack-fumble-scoop-and-score against Texas last season that sent his Buckeyes to the National Championship.

Sawyer had a whopping 4.5 sacks and six pass breakups during Ohio State’s four-game playoff run per NFL.com — the moment wasn’t too big for him, and I’m sure the Steelers noticed.

Of course, there’s a reason why he dropped to the fourth round, and that’s Sawyer’s lack of upside as a pass rusher. His tape doesn’t hint at any high-end athletic traits, and sure enough, Sawyer avoided testing like the plague during the pre-draft process.

We did get some measurements, though. At 6’4, 260 pounds, it seems like Sawyer’s play strength will translate to the pros, but his sub-32-inch arms are a massive concern in an NFL full of lengthy tackles, and it’s a concern that does show up on his college tape.

Coming off the line, Sawyer isn’t worryingly slow following the snap, but there’s a definite lack of twitch which limits his ability to win quickly off the edge.

What worries me the most is his lack of bend. Sawyer is a noticeably stiff defender who doesn’t turn the corner smoothly when rushing the arc. That can also affect his ability to finish plays.

Ohio State didn’t drop Sawyer into coverage much, and when he did he looked OK but I wouldn’t consider that to be a heavy part of his usage on the Steelers, either.

Sawyer does offer some upside as a power rusher, flashing an effective bull rush at times. Again, he’ll have a harder time forklifting NFL offensive tackles with his arm length, and even in college, his ability to push the pocket was inconsistent.

Similarly, Sawyer’s hand usage is good for a rookie but he doesn’t have the deepest bag of winning moves. He can occasionally stand up too straight or start hand fighting late, with bigger offensive tackles being able to stall him off the line. However, he routinely obliterated tight ends when blocked one on one.

I have my worries with how Sawyer’s pass-rush abilities, which looked limited at times in college, will hold up in the pros. However, he’s a strong rotational run defender whose style of play should translate well to special teams.

Even though Sawyer didn’t win quickly that often at the line, it was even more rare for him to get moved from his gap. He definitely has what it takes to stick around in the NFL for a while.

Strengths

Good size, strength combination for a run-stuffing 3-4 outside linebacker
Effective, productive run defender
Strong at the point of attack with good gap integrity and ability to set the edge
Extremely high motor
Knack for big plays in big moments
Ohio State team captain in 2024
Flashes effective bull rush
Above average block shedding in the run game

Weaknesses

Doesn’t appear to have high-end athleticism
Short, sub-32-inch arms
Stiff rushing the arc and in the open field
Unimpressive burst off the snap; rarely wins with speed
Inconsistent pass rusher; struggles against bigger offensive tackles

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com

Dense-framed, even-front defensive end whose game is built for power but not speed. He has short arms and slow power to neutralize and overcome run blocks. However, he lacks a quick-win first step or twitchy stack-and-shed move. He locates the football and racks up tackles when runners near his gaps. He’s a force-based rusher using strong hands, a relentless motor and a pocket-caving charge to run up pressure totals, but his rush lacks quickness. He could see more interior rush opportunities for shorter trips into the pocket. Sawyer is suited for box-based football, which could cap his pro ceiling, but his demeanor, toughness and activity level provide a higher floor.

Matt Holder of Bleacher Report

Jack Sawyer’s game is rooted in strength and power at the point of attack. Against the run, he’s strong, physical and takes on blocks with solid leverage to create stalemates at the line of scrimmage and set the edge against offensive tackles. That can also help him get extension and escape blocks to make plays as a run defender. As a pass-rusher, Sawyer has the strength to collapse the pocket against weaker tackles and has a decent cross-chop that he uses as a nice inside counter move. He also has a good motor to get coverage sacks and will get his hands up to bat passes at the line of scrimmage.

Chris Pflum of Big Blue View

He has the ability to play out of a two or three-point stance, though teams who primarily run 4-3 fronts could look at him more favorably than teams that run 3-4 or multiple fronts. Sawyer will likely have to earn his way onto the field with his play on running downs, though he could find reps as an interior rusher on obvious passing downs. It’s certainly possible for him to have success as a pure power rusher at the NFL level, however his arm length will be an issue for many teams. He will need to become a truly skilled technician to overcome that limitation and be consistently productive.

Sawyer was a bit of a luxury pick in the fourth round for the Steelers, but the plus side of that is he will absolutely be a luxury to have in 2025. For one, he’s the polar opposite of Steelers OLB3 Nick Herbig in many ways, giving Pittsburgh some variety on the depth chart after starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

Sawyer is two inches taller and around 20 pounds heavier than Herbig, and while his speed and bend as a rusher are several tiers worse than Herbig’s, Sawyer has the more prototypical build and skill set for taking on run-heavy offenses.

Herbig also had worrying arm length coming out of college, but still developed into a plus pass rusher on the Steelers. A lot of that is due to his incredible speed rush — something that Sawyer lacks — but there will definitely be some tips Sawyer can pick up from the third-year pro.

And as mentioned earlier, Sawyer’s toughness and high motor should translate well to special teams — a phase of the game Preston Smith, the Steelers run-stuffing OLB4 last year, didn’t play.

Outside linebacker should be a major strength for the Steelers once again in 2025.

TL;DR: Sawyer is a strong, but not explosive, edge defender who’s at his best containing the run game. He was a high-effort player and team captain in college whose play rose to the occasion in the College Football Playoff. He projects as a rotational outside linebacker on run downs in the NFL, but lacks the ideal athleticism and fluidity of a starting pass rusher.