Player: G Nate Herbig
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: The Steelers absolutely suffocated any hopes of starting this season Nate Herbig may have entertained last night. After repeatedly volunteering his name in discussions about centers, Pittsburgh prioritized a second-round center. Zach Frazier in all likelihood immediately steps into the starting lineup, leaving Herbig’s career center snap count under 60. But he may still be their backup center.
One could argue that the Steelers were somewhat fortunate C Zach Frazier was available at 51. With Graham Barton and Jackson Powers-Johnson (drafted as a guard) both off the board, Frazier represented the last center deemed to be in the “first tier” in this year’s class.
Had the Steelers missed out on Frazier, it’s difficult to say how exactly they might have pivoted. Would they have drafted a different center, perhaps with one of their third-round picks? Notably, no other center has yet come off the board, including Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Hunter Nourzad. Take WR Adonai Mitchell at 51 and Van Pran-Granger with one of the third-round picks and you’re still looking good.
But I digress. The real point is the Steelers no longer have to pretend that Nate Herbig may be a starting center. They were going to draft a center at some point, but they managed to get the one they wanted. At least the one who is a pure center that they wanted, assuming Barton topped their list. But they got T Troy Fautanu in the first round instead of Barton, which is a win.
The problem with the Herbig discussion at center is simple: he’s not a center. He never played center before reaching the NFL. He’s played there only a few dozen snaps in meaningful games. While he has practiced there and played there in preseason games, he’s already a backup guard. You don’t want a backup guard starting at center.
And now the Steelers don’t need to have a backup guard as a full-time starter at center. Instead of Nate Herbig, they have Zach Frazier. And half of the Steelers Depot regular readers breathe a sigh of relief they’ve held in for the past months.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
