He wasn’t a first-round pick. He wasn’t a major prospect. He didn’t go to a Power 5 school. But he was a riser on the draft boards by the time the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Alex Highsmith late in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, coming out of Charlotte, a small school where he dominated his senior year as a pass-rusher.
And now, he appears to be a fast-rising player in training camp. Just a day after head coach Mike Tomlin said of him that the young man is proving that he belongs, he defensive coordinator, Keith Butler, is striking the same chord.