Steelers select Nick Herbig at pick 132 of the NFL Draft
The city of brotherly love may be Philadelphia, but the Pittsburgh Steelers don't see it that way, adding yet another pair of brothers to the team with their latest selection in Wisconsin LB Nick Herbig. Nick's brother Nate was signed by the Steelers in free agency, coming over from the Giants to play guard for […]
The city of brotherly love may be Philadelphia, but the Pittsburgh Steelers don't see it that way, adding yet another pair of brothers to the team with their latest selection in Wisconsin LB Nick Herbig.
Nick's brother Nate was signed by the Steelers in free agency, coming over from the Giants to play guard for the Steelers. Nick is a much smaller, but more explosive player that will be a chess piece in Pittsbrugh's defense.
At 6'2" and 240 pounds, Herbig played off the ball as a standup linebacker, and on the line of scrimmage as an edge player, displaying excellent versatility.
Herbig is coming off his beast season as a pass rusher in college, recording an impressive 11 sacks after transitioning to more of a full-time role as an edge player.
Here is what Dane Brugler of The Athletic had to say about Herbig:
A three-year starter at Wisconsin, Herbig was a stand-up edge rusher in former defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 base defense. Accounting for more tackles for loss (36.0) than games played (31) in his career, he was a frequent visitor in the opponent’s backfield and led the Badgers in sacks each of the past two seasons. Despite being undersized, Herbig rushes with the intensity and hand strength of a defensive end to skirt blockers both inside and out. He never shuts down his motor in pursuit, but he is an inconsistent edge-setter and NFL teams won’t hesitate to run at him. Overall, Herbig isn’t built to handle multiple gaps or align in closed areas in the NFL, but he has the explosive get-off, hand usage and backfield instincts to pester quarterbacks. While currently not a true every-down NFL player, his impact will be felt as a sub-rusher and offers additional value if he evolves his off-ball skills.
The Herbig selection screams Pittsburgh for multiple reasons. For one, Pittsburgh has an obvious need at both off ball linebacker and edge, lacking athleticism at the standup position, and depth on the line of scrimmage.
Herbig suddenly fills both roles, even though he will be utilized primarily as an outside linebacker or edge player. Not to mention, keeping true to the Steelers tradition of adding brothers to their team. It started with the Edmunds twins before T.J. and Derek Watt joined. Then came last years' selection of Connor Heyward as the younger brother of Steeler legend Cam Heyward, before today's addition of the Herbig tandem.
Coincidence? Highly unlikely. The Steelers know where to get their information from. They can trust veteran leadership and have strong ties with schools like Wisconsin, Georgia and Alabama.
Herbig is great value in the fourth round, even if he's a little light for the edge. The Steelers had no issue taking Alex Highsmith who lacked traditional weight thresholds, and he's worked out just fine.
So while this is a feel-good story, it's also a very valuable pick, with the Steelers looking to replicate some of the success they had when they selected another Badger edge turned Steeler linebacker, T.J. Watt.
