It remains very early not only in training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but early in the career of rookie fourth-round linebacker Nick Herbig in the Black and Gold.
So far, so good though for the Wisconsin product, especially when 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and fellow outside linebacker T.J. Watt speaks highly of you through seven practices.
Watt, who previously helped mentor Herbig while he was at Wisconsin leading to a breakout final season with the Badgers, praised Herbig Thursday following practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. While speaking to reporters, he credited Herbig for putting together a “nice little repertoire” of pass rush moves so early in his career.
“I’d say right now, just the consistency of it. It’s like I was just saying, it’s one thing to have one good pass rush move, but he’s putting together a nice little repertoire of a couple different things that all look the same at the beginning,” Watt said to reporters, according to video via Steelers.com. “And who knows? We have to see if he can do it back to back days for sure.”
When a guy the caliber of Watt credits someone for having a “nice little repertoire of pass rush moves,” you definitely take notice. It helps that Herbig has been able to watch and work closely with Watt throughout OTAs, minicamp and now training camp, learning from the best of the best.
Herbig has been a sponge since arriving in Pittsburgh, studying every move Watt has and asking him questions on different moves he uses to try and add them to his pass-rush repertoire. Not only has Herbig been learning from Watt, but he has been mimicking him on the football field by using all the moves he’s taught him
Throughout the first few days of camp, Herbig has dominated the competition on Chuck Noll Field, according to Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora.
In fact, Kozora called him a “winner” through the first two days of training. He’s continued to build off that, even in pads.
Herbig has made waves in camp, showing off his explosive first step and ability to round the corner while rushing the passer. He got first-team reps on Sunday with Watt getting a veteran day off and looked the part, beating OT Dan Moore Jr. and getting a pressure on QB Kenny Pickett. Herbig also got first-team reps Thursday with Watt getting another veteran day off, and had a strong day overall.
In 1v1 drills with offensive linemen, Herbig showed great athleticism and burst, beating tackle Le’Raven Clark with an outside fake/inside rush. According to Kozora, Herbig’s bend at the top of the arc is noticeable as a pass rusher. Herbig also had a great rush on the interior against right guard Bill Dunkle in a team session, winning with a swim move, showing off the repertoire that impresses Watt.
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. So far, Herbig keeps experimenting, learning new moves and hitting them in practice. He’s becoming very hard to block.
Herbig’s testing numbers were impressive, and his college tape was rather strong overall, especially rushing the passer. Sometimes when evaluating a player we get too caught up in the measurables. Though I am still concerned about the lack of length with Herbig long-term, he is off to a fast start in training camp and certainly looks the part of a decent outside linebacker for the Steelers moving forward.
