Tag: Charlotte Football

If your favorite NFL team is looking for an under-the-radar pass rusher who could be one of this year’s best bargains at a premium position, Charlotte’s Alex Highsmith should be high on their list of targets.

A well-rounded prospect who has proven himself against top competition, Highsmith recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his experience at the East-West Shrine Game, how he handles the “small school” criticism, and what kind of impact he’ll make at the next level.

JM: You decided to play your final season at Charlotte as a redshirt senior. You also played in this year’s East-West Shrine Game. How do you look back on the past few months?

AH: The last few months have been awesome. I’m just trying to make this transition from being a collegiate athlete to becoming a pro. I’m out here training at EXOS in Arizona and it’s been awesome. I’ve loved every single minute of it. The Shrine Game was such a great experience as well. I received some excellent coaching out there and it gave me an opportunity to play against some of the best players around the country. I’m really enjoying my training out here in Arizona. We’re getting ready for the combine and I feel great about it. I’m excited about the opportunities ahead of me.

JM: That EXOS facility in Arizona might be the best in the world.

AH: Oh yeah, it’s amazing. It’s definitely the best facility I’ve ever been to. There’s so much to it, more than just the training. The strength coaches have been amazing. The nutritional coaches and staff are top notch. We eat so well. It’s really helping us transform our bodies. It’s been so great. The recovery is amazing. We’re always in the treatment rooms getting worked on. The physical therapists are top of the line. The trainers are really helping us with any little nagging injury. They’re always helping us get back to our training as quickly as they can. It’s been an amazing experience so far.

JM: I wanna get into your skill set now. How would you describe your pass rush arsenal?

AH: I have a bunch of different moves in my arsenal. I learned a lot this past year. I didn’t have as many moves in my arsenal during my junior year. That’s the reason my numbers improved so significantly this past year in my opinion. I took a big step forward. We had a brand new coaching staff. Coach [Will] Healy brought in coach [Marcus] West with him from Minnesota. The day I heard that he was hired, I remember going to coach West’s Twitter profile and it said that he was a pass rushing specialist. I immediately got excited.

He taught me so many different moves and techniques this past season. He helped me realize that I could become a pretty special pass rusher with some fine tuning. It’s all about working the edge and trying to spin around the corner. I love using my chop-rip and I enjoy converting speed to power as well. I try to mix things up. I definitely have a lot of moves in my arsenal.

JM: It sounds like Coach West really helped develop you this past year. Did he teach you anything regarding how to keep an offensive linemen guessing on a snap-by-snap basis?

AH: I think it’s all about varying your moves as the game goes on. You definitely have to switch things up. I like starting off with speed and making the tackle start to get out of his stance a little quicker. He starts to get off balance with his feet when I’m doing that at a high level. I can shake him up that way. I start incorporating different moves as he starts to over-prepare for speed and stop his feet. I like switching up my stance as well. Sometimes I’ll point my inside or my outside hand down just to switch things up. You won’t know if I’m going inside or outside. I’m gonna attack you in a variety of ways.

JM: Who are some of the best offensive tackles you’ve played against?

AH: We played against Clemson this past year. Those guys were great. Their tackles Jackson Carman and Tremayne Anchrum were a huge challenge to go up against. I played right end primarily so I went up against Carman most of the game. He might be the best tackle I’ve ever played against throughout my time in college. He’s that good. He had great hand usage, he’s big and moves his feet well. We played a couple of guys like that throughout the season. I remember playing against Kansas State when I was a sophomore and they had a strong offensive line unit, as well.

JM: What are some key traits a successful pass rusher must possess at the next level?

AH: I think your motor is first and foremost. Anyone can have moves, but can you execute them at a high level? You can work the move but it doesn’t matter if you’re not aggressive or in attack mode. You need to have that motor to get after the quarterback. Sometimes that extra effort is the difference between a sack and a pressure. You need to make an effort to get to the quarterback at all times. I would say the ability to bend comes next. You have to be able to turn that corner. It’s such an important trait for us pass rushers. That’s another trait that I really developed over this past season.

JM: What do you prefer more: Getting after the quarterback, or setting the edge in the run game?

AH: I definitely prefer to rush the passer. Being a sack artist is where we make our money. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing in the run game as well. Making a tackle behind the line of scrimmage is awesome. There’s just something about pinning your ears back and getting after the quarterback though. There’s something about that feeling on third down and you know it’s a passing situation. It’s a mindset. It’s our bread and butter as pass rushers.

JM: The Charlotte program has improved a lot over the last couple of years, but there’s still some small-school pedigree attached to it’s name. It’s inevitable that a scout will sit you down at some point during this process and question the level of competition you faced. How will you answer those questions?

AH: I’ll just tell them to pull up my tape from the best teams we played against this past season. I felt like two of my best games came against Clemson and App State. They were some of the top teams in the nation. I really showed that I could prove myself at that level. I showed up against the big guys. Look at my game against Tennessee from the year before. That was one of my breakout games. I think my film against our best opponents answers that question.

JM: What kind of impact is Alex Highsmith going to make at the next level?

AH: I can’t wait to make an impact both on and off the field. I just wanna use my platform to glorify God. The ability to play this game is everything I have and I’m very thankful for that. I wanna use this platform to give thanks to God and to help my community off the field. Not only am I gonna help a team reach the Super Bowl, but I’m going to do everything I can in my community to help make this world a better place.

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