The Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to get a lot of young guys matched up against each other in training camp, and it’s clear Mike Tomlin is a fan of those matchups. Earlier in camp, he was praising the matchups between Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig. Today, it was the matchups between Herbig and first-round pick Broderick Jones.
“I think we’re all a big winner,” Tomlin said about Jones and Herbig squaring off. “When you get two young guys that have some talent and they’re competing against each other regardless of who wins the reps, we win. Because it’s an iron-on-iron principle, it’s fun to watch ‘em do it. Both got tremendous upside, so they’re good dance partners,” Tomlin said via Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan via Twitter.
Per Alex Kozora, Jones and Herbig went 1v1 for at least three reps today, with Jones winning all three.
Given Jones’ size and athleticism, he’s a tough matchup for Herbig, who can’t necessarily use his quickness as well when he’s going up against someone who has good foot speed like Jones does. But it’s a good matchup for Herbig to prepare him for the type of athletic tackles he could face going forward. It also helps Jones handle non-traditional pass rushers, guys who might not be as big but can win effectively with their quickness and ghost rush.
Just like when Herbig and Washington went up against each other, Tomlin talked about the energy the matchups between two rookies provide in camp. Two rookies who are eager to prove they deserve to play immediately going against each other is always going to have an extra edge to them, and there’s no doubt that those matchups help makes both players better.
This draft class could end up being a successful one for Pittsburgh, with a lot of guys looking promising early. Jones and Herbig are among them, two guys who looked pretty solid in the team’s preseason opener against Tampa Bay. While Jones could start immediately, Herbig is behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but if he keeps playing like he did on Friday night, he could push for more reps as a backup.
It’s going to be really exciting to watch this rookie class grow and develop. It’s hopefully a group that will continue to sharpen each other’s toolbox with reps against each other for years to come. As Tomlin said, they have “tremendous upside,” and if that upside comes to fruition, the Steelers’ 2023 draft could be a home run.
