A week removed from the 2023 NFL Draft, the discussions surrounding members of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft class continue to grow.
While it appears to be an excellent draft class, at least on paper, one player in particular continues to be a major talking point due not only to some concerns with his size, but also his true fit with the Black and Gold.
That would be outside linebacker Nick Herbig, whom the Steelers selected at No. 132 overall out of Wisconsin and is the younger brother of free agent signee Nate Herbig.
Herbig is a bit of a ‘tweener entering the NFL, as he’s a bit small (arm length) for the outside linebacker position, but not a great athlete overall for the inside linebacker position. Where he lines up doesn’t matter, at least according to one Big Ten coach, who told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Herbig “just gets stuff done” and is a good fit with the Steelers.
“I really liked Herbig,” a Big Ten coach said to Rittenberg, according to ESPN.com. “Everybody says, ‘What’s the best value?’ That guy’s a good one. He’s not real flashy, just gets stuff done and Pittsburgh, they know it.”
Herbig certainly got the job done in college, racking up 134 career tackles, 36.0 tackles for loss and 21.0 sacks during his time in Madison. That production led to first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American accolades as a junior in 2022.
His 15.5 tackles for a loss as a junior led the Big Ten and ranked 18th nationally, while his 11.0 sacks in 2022 were the most in a Wisconsin single season since current New Orleans Saints linebacker Zack Baun recorded 12.5 in 2019.
Regardless of where Herbig ultimately Lins up, chances are he’s going to be an impactful player for the Steelers moving forward, even if that’s just on special teams, where he profiles to be a core special teamer. While questions remain about his overall fit defensively and whether that’s at outside linebacker or inside linebacker, he’s the type of player who will simply find a way to get the job done and be impactful.
That’s what Pittsburgh is banking on.
