Mike Tomlin’s favorite pass rushers from the 2023 NFL Draft came in different shapes and sizes and draft statuses. Unfortunately, the one for the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be suiting up tonight. During his weekly Mike Tomlin Show, Tomlin revealed the New York Jets’ Will McDonald IV and Pittsburgh’s Nick Herbig were his two favorite prospects coming off the edge two years ago.
“Will McDonald is a second-year player that was a first-round pick for those guys out of Iowa State,” Tomlin told host Bob Pompeani. “Very familiar with Will. I went to his Pro Day, took him out to eat the night before his Pro Day. He is a super-talented edge guy…To be really bluntly honest, he and Herbig were my two favorite edge people in that draft. And obviously, we got Herbig a little later, but he went in round one, and he’s playing to that draft [evaluation].”
The Pro Day dinner was on our radar and noted in our 2023 tracker. It seems the visit was more out of geography than serious consideration. Tomlin and company attended Iowa the day before as part of a central USA trek consisting of Michigan, the Iowa’s, and Ohio State. Few hit the draft trail like Tomlin, and when he wants to grab a player for dinner, his request is often granted.
The two first met during the 2023 Senior Bowl.
“He was just giving me like some coaching pointers on what I can fix and what I can do better,” McDonald told us in our feature piece on him. “He’s real cool. I could tell he wants to get to know his players a little bit more. He wants to bond with them.”
A freak athlete, he rose up the draft boards to become the 15th overall pick of the draft. At the time, some viewed him as the Jets consolation prize after losing out on Georgia OT Broderick Jones, who Pittsburgh jumped the Jets for to grab at No. 14. New York swore McDonald was their guy all along. Two years in, it seems like the right call, no matter their intentions.
After a quiet rookie year, McDonald broke out for seven sacks in his sophomore season and was tied for second-most in the league. A multi-sport star growing up playing basketball, soccer, and even martial arts, his Day One draft status took him out of the running for a Steelers team that needed o-line and cornerback help while seeking only quality depth at outside linebacker, not a starter.
Pittsburgh found that in Herbig in the fourth round. And they hit big. He was viewed as an undersized EDGE rusher who might have to play more off-ball, so much so that even Herbig thought the team was bumping him inside. He’s punched above his weight two years into the league. With high energy and efficiency, he notched three sacks on limited playing time as a rookie and 2.5 in 2024. A hamstring injury in Week 5’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys will hold him out for tonight’s contest. The Steelers are getting back Alex Highsmith after a three-game absence, a big boost to their pass rush.
The Steelers will have to hold McDonald in check against Jones, the man they took one spot ahead of McDonald. The battle between the 14th and 15th picks could determine which team wins this game and the 2023 first round.
