Alex Highsmith
| No. 56 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Outside Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 7, 1997 |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 242 lb (110 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Eugene Ashley (Wilmington, North Carolina) |
| College: | Charlotte |
| NFL draft: | 2020 / round: 3 / pick: 102 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Alex Highsmith (born August 7, 1997) is an American football outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Charlotte.
Early life and high school
Highsmith grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina and attended Eugene Ashley High School, where he played baseball, basketball and football.[1] He played middle linebacker and fullback and was named second team All-Area and first team All-Mideastern Conference as a senior. He was also named All-Area in baseball. Highsmith was lightly recruited by college programs and only received interest from Davidson and Furman before being offered a spot on UNC Charlotte's team as a walk on.[2]
College career
Highsmith joined the Charlotte 49ers as a walk-on and redshirted his true freshman season.[3] As a redshirt freshman, he played in all 12 of the 49ers games and finished the season with 17 tackles and a sack. Highsmith was a key member of Charlotte's defensive line rotation during his redshirt sophomore season and finished the year with 33 tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and one fumble recovery.[4] He was named a starter at defensive end as a redshirt junior and was named first team All-Conference USA after setting a school record with 17.5 tackles for loss along with 60 total tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles.[5][6][7] He was again named first team All-Conference USA and war also a third team All-America selection by the Associated Press as a senior after setting new school records with 14 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss.[8][9][10]
College statistics
| Charlotte 49ers | Defense | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Loss | Sacks | FF | |||
| 2016 | Charlotte | 12 | 17 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | Charlotte | 11 | 33 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | Charlotte | 12 | 60 | 18.5 | 3.0 | 2 | |||
| 2019 | Charlotte | 13 | 75 | 21.5 | 15.0 | 2 | |||
| College totals | 45 | 185 | 47.0 | 21.0 | 4 | ||||
Source:[11]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
242 lb (110 kg) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m) |
4.70 s | 4.31 s | 7.32 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[12]/"Alex Highsmith, DE, Charlotte". | ||||||||||||
Highsmith was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round, 102nd overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft.[13]
References
- ^ Barth, Tanner (2020-04-24). "Pittsburgh Steelers draft Ashley High School standout Alex Highsmith 102nd overall". WWAY TV. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
- ^ DiCecco, Andrew (February 26, 2020). "Charlotte edge rusher Alex Highsmith still proving people wrong". ProFootballNetwork.com. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Highsmith keeps making strides at Charlotte". Star-News. December 5, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Alex Highsmith walked on to the Charlotte 49ers. Now he's a star. Is the NFL next?". The News & Observer. August 13, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Former Ashley football standout goes from walk on to starter for the Charlotte 49ers". WECT.com. December 17, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Mahoney, Ashley (August 3, 2019). "Charlotte DE Alex Highsmith thinking big for senior campaign". The Charlotte Post. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Brugler, Dane (September 25, 2019). "Meet the Prospect: Pass rusher Alex Highsmith continues to make Charlotte a must stop for NFL scouts". The Athletic. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Lamorandier, Logan (January 27, 2020). "Late-Round Sleeper Who Can Bolster Lions' Defensive Line". SI.com. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Charlotte 49ers Defensive End Highsmith Becomes First All-American In Program History With Third Team Selection". WCCBCharlotte.com. Associated Press. December 16, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Barth, Tanner (December 12, 2019). "ALEX HIGHSMITH NAMED TO CONFERENCE USA FIRST-TEAM". WWAYTV3.com. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Alex Highsmith statistics - College Football". sports-reference.com.
- ^ "Alex Highsmith Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ "Steelers select Highsmith in the third round". steelers.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.