When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Wisconsin LB Nick Herbig in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, it was a bit of a surprise to hear that the team planned to try him at OLB. While that’s the position Herbig played in college, his frame, particularly his 30 ¼-inch arm length, seemed better suited for him to play off-ball linebacker. While he still might get a shot there, it seems as if the team’s focused on using him primarily as an outside linebacker. During the team’s mandatory minicamp today, outside linebacker’s coach Denzel Martin talked about how to make Herbig successful at that spot.
“Just try to find him things that he does well and a lot of that’s on his college tape in a way,” Martin told TribLive’s Chris Adamski. “I think you teach him how to use his hands. I think you teach him how to use his natural built-in leverage and I think it works for him. There’s other guys around here not putting big stones on them, not James Harrison-like, but I’m just saying there’s been guys that have made it with that smaller stature. I just think he needs to learn how to use his hands, use his leverage, and just keep using the moves that worked for him and not try to do too much.”
If Herbig wants to find examples of players who have succeeded in the NFL despite the lack of ideal length, all he has to do is look at his own room and find Markus Golden, who has similarly sized arms. Despite that, Golden has 47 career sacks in the league, and he can be a model for Herbig to follow.
Too many Steelers fans were quick to make the James Harrison comparison with Herbig, and like Martin said, he isn’t James Harrison. But that doesn’t mean he won’t find success in the league. He’s been working with T.J. Watt since his college days, and he has a non-stop motor that makes me think he’ll have a hard time not finding a role in the league in some capacity.
Like all rookies, Herbig has a lot to learn. But if he can work on his hand usage, using his speed around the edge and leverage to his advantage, he could be a successful outside linebacker for the Steelers. It’s a position that Pittsburgh really just needs quality depth at for now. Watt is still in his prime, while Alex Highsmith is coming off a 14.5 sack season and is in line for a new contract that he’ll likely sign at some point this summer. With Golden entrenched as the OLB3 right now, Herbig’s role as a rookie will be as a situational pass rusher and special teamer.
But there’s hope he can develop into more than that, and Martin seems confident that he will. Herbig’s going to have a role one way or another, be it on special teams or as a part of the defense, and his development is going to be interesting to watch. Given his attitude and motor though, I think Herbig is ultimately going to end up being a successful NFL player.
