Steelers Now
The 2023 draft class remains the magnum opus of Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan, and with so many talented youngsters heading into contract years, comes a lengthy to-do list on negotiations. The first shoe to drop was 24-year-old edge rusher Nick Herbig, who agreed to a four-year, $100M dollar extension with the club, making him the 16th-highest-paid player in the league at his position. Even after committing significant financial resources to veterans T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, it makes sense to lock up an ascending young talent early to avoid having to get into a bidding war for his services in free agency next offseason.
Recently, I spent some time charting the Steelers’ outside linebacker trio and came away with the conclusion that Herbig was indeed their best one-on-one rusher, while also being undeniably their most versatile. That, along with his recent payday, prompted the itch to create this film room, which breaks down his evolving skill set and how he’ll be deployed in Patrick Graham’s system this fall. The per-snap pass rushing production is gaudy, and the film backs up the data, with the biggest question remaining being whether he can sustain that level of effectiveness over a large sample size. In my opinion, this is a bet worth making and I explain why in the video.
Be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel for even more Steelers & NFL Draft content.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: DB’s Film Room: Why Nick Herbig Deal Will Be a Steal for the Steelers
