DeKALB — NIU’s first two-time All-American selection will be heading to the steel city. With the 175th overall pick the Pittsburgh Steelers selected former Huskie defensive end Sutton Smith Saturday.

The former running back accounted for 30 sacks in three years of play in DeKalb. His 14 sacks in 2017 tied for the nations lead with Central Michigan pass rusher Joe Ostman, while his 15 sacks this previous season was good enough for third in the nation.

Smith won back-to-back Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2017 and 2018. He was named NIU’s second all-time Consensus All-American in 2017 while also being named a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award.

Related: Max Scharping selected 55th overall to the Houston Texans

Smith ended his Huskie career with 139 total tackles with over 63% of these takedowns coming as sacks or tackles for a loss.

Smith helped spark the Huskies second-half comeback in the 2018 MAC Championship win over Buffalo University. He tied a career high with 10 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and grabbed two sacks on his way to winning the MAC Championship Defensive MVP.

While making his mark on defense, special teams also felt Smith’s impact. Smith blocked two punts in 2018 and took one back for a touchdown.

The defensive stud has a knack for finding the endzone. In 2017, Smith scored a touchdown on two fumble recoveries while forcing three fumbles himself.