Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 NFL Draft grades: Chase Claypool primes receiving corps
By John Buhler
Third Round
It wasn’t all that long ago the Charlotte 49ers didn’t even have a football team. The program hasn’t even been around a decade and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith becomes the third player in school history to be drafted. He goes to the Steelers in the compensatory part of the third round at No. 102 overall.
Highsmith was a two-time All-Conference USA First Team player. Not bad for a guy from Wilmington, North Carolina who had to walk onto the 49ers football team. He quickly became a star for first-year head coach Will Healy in Charlotte. This program is certainly trending up in recent years and players like Highsmith are a big part of it.
Though there might have been other players to take from more high-profile schools, the Steelers get the benefit of the doubt here. General manager Kevin Colbert has been doing this for a long time and almost always finds gems from smaller schools like UNC-Charlotte. Add him to the pass rush that already features T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree and look-out.
Even though Highsmith was a dominant player in Conference USA, there is a ton of pressure on the former Group of 5 walk-ons. He’s going into a situation where he is expected to help his team win right away. With Pittsburgh only having two picks in the first three rounds, it is critical he is able to play meaningful snaps in this Steelers defense as a rookie.