The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their emphasis on family bloodlines in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Edmunds pairing was lost this offseason, but the front office has quickly replaced them. First, it was Nate Herbig, a versatile backup offensive guard for Pittsburgh. Then, this past weekend, the front office drafted his brother Nick Herbig in the fourth round.
Kyle Terada / USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers have another brother pairing in Pittsburgh now in Nate and Nick Herbig.
Nick was a productive player at the University of Wisconsin, but his size limited his draft stock. Many experts think he’s too small to play outside linebacker in the NFL, leading to the belief that he would transition to off-ball linebacker. With the Steelers, that seemingly will not be the case. Outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin revealed the team's plan for the Wisconsin product.
"Really like his pass-rush ability. Really like his competitiveness, his toughness on tape. Right now, he's gonna start at outside linebacker, that's what we have him at. 240 [pounds] is good, but we'll get with G on that. I like him right now at his 240 weight to be honest with you. He's definitely athletic enough to do that [play multiple positions], but like I said, we're gonna start him at that outside 'backer and try to make a big-time player out of him there first."
Martin's comment to needing to "get with G" is likely referring to the team's senior strength and conditioning coordinator, Garrett Giemont. It will be his 51st season in the NFL in 2023, so suffice to say, Giemont knows what he is doing. Time will tell if things work out for him at the position, but his lack of size and arm length are why people see him as more of an off-ball guy.
Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers 2019 sixth-rounder Sutton Smith never panned out in the NFL, in part due to his lack of size at outside linebacker.
For now, the team website has Herbig listed at 6'2', 228 pounds, which they presumably pulled from Wisconsin's team website. That's what he was listed at for the 2022 campaign, a little bit smaller than Martin's comment about him being 240 pounds. His size is comparable to 2019 sixth-rounder Sutton Smith, who eventually never made the 53-man roster.
Should the Steelers add another pass rusher in free agency?
Herbig did excel rushing the passer in the Big 10 though, as he racked up 20 sacks over his last two seasons. He was very productive elsewhere as well, as he had 30 combined tackles for loss in 2021 and 2022. Surprisingly, the selection of Herbig was the only linebacker that the team selected in the NFL Draft. That's perhaps the only gripe to be had about Omar Khan's first draft as general manager.
The team's depth (or lack thereof) on the edge still seems quite concerning, as Herbig figures to be the primary backup behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. There are some intriguing veterans still out there in free agency, such as Justin Houston and Leonard Floyd. Quincy Roche is the only other notable name on the team at the position, as he's back in Pittsburgh after they let him get away just two years ago.
Do you think Herbig will work out in the NFL as an edge rusher? Are you still concerned about the team's depth at the position? What are your expectations for the Wisconsin product in his rookie year? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites!
#SteelerNation
