Steelers selected Ohio State EDGE Jack Sawyer with the No. 123 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
A true blue chip, five star recruit who was ranked as the fourth overall player from the 2021 high school prep class, Sawyer (6’4/260) played in all 55 of Ohio State’s games during his collegiate tenure. Sawyer’s 90.5 PFF overall grade ranked 6th among FBS Edge defenders, while his 64 pressures were the fourth-most in the nation during OSU’s National Championship run. Impressive play strength, grabs blockers with his powerful hands and tosses them aside to pursue. The moveset isn’t particularly diverse, relying on strength and technique to rack up wins on the rush. Most effective pass rush move is when he crosses the face of tackles and takes an inside rush line, accruing a dominant 40.5 percent win rate on such plays despite taking an inside path just 11% of the time. Primarily lined up on the right side, the Second Team All-Big Ten performer recorded 82nd percentile run defense grades in each of the last two seasons. He didn’t test at the Combine, but his arms measured in at a suboptimal 31 ¾”, which is going to affect his ability to land punches against outstretched tackles. Strong and proportioned enough to lock out and disengage to make stops, but can sometimes be a tick behind the snap count. Sawyer has the pedigree and physical profile to be a credible base 43 defensive end if he can overcome his relatively short arms.
