Rookie outside linebacker Nick Herbig is not facing a lot of pressure to immediately come into Pittsburgh Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., thanks to getting to learn from players like T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and even Markus Golden.
So it should be of no surprise that Herbig, a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from the University of Wisconsin, has spent his time wisely by learning some new tricks of the pass-rushing trade from his new teammates. One such trick is a “duck under” or “ghost” move that Herbig says he has learned from one of the top pass rushers in the league today.
“Yeah. That’s new,” Herbig said Saturday, according to Dale Lolley of Steelers.com. “I learned that from T.J. If you watch, he does that move a lot. I’ve been trying to work that. I actually saw him doing it when I watched film on him, and I asked him about it.”
Herbig was no slouch getting after opposing quarterbacks in college. In his sophomore season, he recorded nine sacks. Then in his final college season, he had 11 sacks in 11 games.
However, when your teammate is T.J. Watt, who has 77.5 sacks in 87 career games, you can certainly stand to learn something. Plus moves like that aren’t only good for getting quarterbacks on the ground. They can help stop running backs in the backfield, too.
Here’s an example of Watt using that same move to beat Cincinnati Bengals OT La’El Collins en route to dropping RB Joe Mixon in the backfield for a loss. Watt has 88 career tackles for a loss, averaging essentially one every game. Herbig had 36 tackles for losses in 31 career games, but every new move in his arsenal is a new way to beat offensive tackles.
On this play, Watt gets under Jacksonville Jaguars OT Walker Little and, despite an arm around his neck, Watt initially forces QB Trevor Lawrence to step up before rallying and bringing the quarterback down, nearly forcing a fumble.
Then there’s this series of clips showing just how much trouble offensive tackles have with Watt’s “ghost” or “duck under” move.
Now, that’s not to say that Herbig is going to turn into Watt simply by learning this move. However, the more quality moves a pass rusher has in his arsenal, the more trouble he can give opposing offensive linemen and quarterbacks. Learning a move from one who uses such a move to great effect like Watt can only make Herbig better.
The Steelers are not yet in pads in training camp but that will change on Tuesday after the team returns from having Monday off. Herbig, who has seemingly had a great rookie training camp so far, acknowledged on Saturday that adding pads and more physicality into practice next week will really test all his other pass rushing arsenal, along with the new ghost move he’s learned from Watt.
“It’s mostly just technical stuff, your hands, your footwork, bending the edge,” Herbig said. “When the pads come on, it’s different. There’s a bigger surface to hit, bull rush. You just do different things.”
