After Nate Herbig signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency, younger brother and linebacker Nick Herbig knew where he wanted to go.
Ultimately he didn’t have his choice, but the Steelers made it for him, selecting him at No. 132 overall in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, reuniting him with his brother.
Herbig, who spoke with reporters moments after the selection Saturday afternoon, stated that the Steel City was exactly where he wanted to be, making his dreams come true.
“It feels like the right place for me. It’s exactly where I want to be,” Herbig said after his selection, according to the Tribune-Review‘s Chris Adamski. “I feel like they just want me to come in and be a dawg, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”
After signing older brother, Nate, the Steelers drafting Nick Herbig was a very real possibility and one pick that seemed to be all but a lock should he be available at the right spot in the draft. Turns out, he remained available and fell to No. 132 overall. It made for an easy decision for the Steelers.
Even more than a month after Nate made the case for Pittsburgh to pick him.
“Oh, it’s over already. I came in the building screaming it. Like, come on, let’s get him here. Nick Herbig: stud. Absolute stud. I should be his agent,” Nate Herbig said to reporters during his introductory press conference in mid-March. “If there’s one guy I can’t block, it’s Nick Herbig.”
A full-time starter for the Wisconsin Badgers, Nick Herbig put up 20 sacks over the past two seasons along with 30 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles. With the Steelers lacking depth at outside linebacker behind T.J Watt and Alex Highsmith, Herbig certainly slots into that role. He also carries on the tradition of the Steelers valuing NFL bloodlines and that brotherly connection.
Herbig’s selection marks the second-straight draft in which the Steelers have selected a brother of a current player. Last season, the Steelers picked Connor Heyward, the younger brother of Cam Heyward. Prior to this offseason, the Steelers had the Watt brothers — T.J. and Derek — on the roster as well as the Edmunds brothers in Terrell and Trey. Derek is a free agent and Terrell signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
