Linebacker Jack Sawyer had a strong rookie season, stepping up big for the defense, especially with injuries at the outside linebacker position.
Sawyer appeared in all 17 regulars season games, with one start, as well as the Wild Card playoff game. He finished the regular season with 20 tackles, 11 of them solo stops, three tackles for a loss, one sack and two interceptions.
"The more you give him, the better he performs," said linebacker T.J. Watt during the season. "And that's kind of life in the National Football League as he sees more action, gets used to the speed.
"He's a heck of a player. He's getting better very, very quickly.
"I think it's a matter of finding those opportunities when you can really go on, when you have to play truly gap sound football. And I think he's finding that line of when you can take those chances, when not to. We have a great group of guys who have been in all different levels of their career, and he's been great at soaking up as much information as possible."
Sawyer, who played at Ohio State, was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 123rd overall pick.
Sawyer said a lot of his growth during the season was thanks to the veteran leadership at the outside linebacker spot.
"I've learned a lot from them," said Sawyer in season. "I feel like every day I'm learning something new from them to take with me into game day. They provide so much detail of everything to play the position.
"So just trying to pick up things every day.
"I'm trying to get better every day, prepare myself for anything and then go out there and play to my fullest potential."
Sawyer appeared in 53 career games, starting 29 consecutive games to finish his career at Ohio State. He finished with 138 tackles, 65 of them solo stops. He added 20 sacks and 25.5 tackles for a loss. He also had 11 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception.
Sawyer appeared in 16 games in 2024, finishing with a career-high 59 tackles, 25 of them solo stops. He also had nine sacks and nine tackles for a loss, both of them career highs.
