The Steelers selected Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 123rd overall pick.

“This guy is really good, tough,” said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. “Unbelievable intangibles. Football character. He also has a knack for making plays when you need. You see him make a lot of big plays at crunch. It tells me he is a guy who is going to show up when you need him.

“Unbelievable across the board. No holes about who he is and what he is about. I think he will fit in nicely in our room.

“When you have a guy who has all of the qualities he has, and the intangibles, and winning attitude, those things are hard to pass up.”

Sawyer appeared in 53 career games, starting 29 consecutive games to finish his career. 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.

“When you look at him, he is a smart guy,” said Austin. “He understands the game. He gets himself on edges and knows when to rush. He knows when to bull rush. That’s how guys have a knack for it. They really study. They understand the game. They understand situations. He takes advantage of all of that instead of just playing.”

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.

He said getting the call from the Steelers was a dream for him and can’t wait to get to work.

“I love it,” said Sawyer. “It’s a dream come true to be able to play in the National Football League and for such a storied franchise like the Pittsburgh Steelers and a coach like Mike Tomlin. It’s just a dream come true.

“I love Mike Tomlin. I love all the rest of the staff, and I thought it’d be a great fit, the way they run their organization. I’m just so excited to add value anywhere I can to this team.”

Sawyer said he is looking forward to learning from the veterans at outside linebacker, including T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

“I love the defensive scheme that we have. And those guys are great players. I’m excited to come in and learn from them and see how they go to work. And like I said, just add value in any way or shape or form I can to the organization and to the city and to team.”