Pittsburgh Steelers’ Alex Highsmith scores a pick-six against the Cleveland Browns in a Week 2 game on Monday Night Football. He scored the touchdown in the first quarter to have an upper hand on the Browns.

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Within the first nine seconds of the game, Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith made an immediate impact by intercepting a ball and returning it 30 yards for a score. This gave Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead.

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Harrison Bryant, the target of Deshaun Watson’s pass, appeared to be misaligned, resulting in an ugly deflection. Bryant was able to knock the ball away even though it was in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick’s hands. Highsmith, who was in the ideal position, took the chance and ran unimpeded to the end zone.

After an 11-play, 50-yard drive, the Browns answered with a 43-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

Highsmith is the offside linebacker for the Steelers. In 2016, Highsmith signed up as a walk-on at Charlotte to start his NCAA football career. He improved substantially after a redshirt freshman season, eventually playing a crucial role in Charlotte’s defensive line rotation. He had racked up excellent numbers by the end of his college career, including 230 tackles, 41.0 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Highsmith in the third round (102nd overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft. He participated in all 16 games in his rookie season, recording 32 tackles and 2.5 sacks while doing so. He was given 15 starts in 2021 for his performance, during which he shined with 80 tackles, 10.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles.