3rd-round OLB Alex Highsmith becomes 1st draft pick to sign with Steelers
Alex Highsmith became the first 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers draft pick to sign his four-year rookie contract, NFL Network reported Tuesday.
Highsmith, an outside linebacker from Charlotte who was taken in the third round, will receive a slotted signing bonus of $832,296, according to Spotrac.com. He will carry a $610,000 base salary and cap hit of $818,074.
Highsmith could project to be one of the top backups at outside linebacker behind starters T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree. He had 15 sacks and 75 tackles in his senior year at Charlotte when he was a third-team All-America selection and first-team all-conference pick.
The Steelers still need to sign five draft picks: second-rounder Chase Claypool, fourth-rounders Anthony McFarland and Kevin Dotson, sixth-rounder Antoine Brooks Jr., and seventh-rounder Carlos Davis.
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Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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