BREAKING: Steelers Surprisingly Draft Ohio State OLB in Fourth Round
The Pittsburgh Steelers are selecting Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer with the No. 123 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers passed on quarterback once again to start Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer with the No. 123 overall pick in the fourth round.
Sawyer, 22, is a bit of a surprising pick since he wasn’t one of the Steelers’ pre-draft visitors. However, he comes at good value ranked as the No. 67 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.
Pittsburgh’s brass got a close look at Sawyer when it attended the school’s pro day in Columbus, too.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defender recorded 59 tackles (25 solo), nine sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and six passes defensed in 2024. He was named the Cotton Bowl defensive MVP after strip sacking Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and returning it for a 83-yard touchdown to seal the game.
Sawyer also brings championship pedigree to Pittsburgh after helping the Buckeyes win the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship against Notre Dame. But he is joining an already star-studded room, which includes T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.
He is not worried about getting lost in the shuffle, though, and is instead focused on contributing any way he can.
“I’m just so excited to add value anywhere I can,” he said.
Sawyer will likely start by helping to fill the void left by veteran Preston Smith, who served as the team’s fourth edge rusher in 2024.
In four seasons at Ohio State, he registered 144 tackles (68 solo), 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, one interception and 10 passes defensed.