**Player: OLB Nick Herbig**
**Stock Value: Even**
**Reasoning:** _With the Steelers drafting Jack Sawyer, how does Nick Herbig fit into the new outside linebacker hierarchy in Pittsburgh? Will he see fewer snaps as a result of the addition, or will he remain the next man up? Chances are, he will stay one snap away from starting, at least initially, and perhaps for the foreseeable future._
While the Steelers drafted OLB Jack Sawyer, expect Nick Herbig to remain the next man up behind the starters. If anything, it will be T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith who “lose” snaps to Sawyer, rather than Herbig. That’s because, with two potentially qualified reserves, they can afford to rest their starters more.
For years, the Steelers have struggled to have or maintain consistent quality depth at outside linebacker. They have made more efforts to address that in recent years, of which Sawyer was a part. A fourth-round pick, he represented good draft value. They didn’t draft him because they felt they needed him—they remain high on Nick Herbig—but because he is a player they rated the highest at that point in the draft.
What’s interesting is that Herbig and Sawyer have slightly varying skill sets. Or to put it more accurately, they have different strengths, as both are complete players. It would be inaccurate and unfair to call Herbig a situational pass rusher. Equally, to call Sawyer a run stuffer is missing the bigger picture. But might they use Herbig more in passing situations and Sawyer more in running situations? Perhaps.
Most often, we are likely to see the Steelers rotate Herbig and Sawyer in together, at least when Sawyer is playing. They are here, other than for depth, to help keep Watt and Highsmith fresh. And Herbig has already proven at the NFL level that he can be not just effective, but a playmaker. In 606 career snaps, he has 8.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 6 forced fumbles. Drafting Jack Sawyer isn’t going to make them forget about what they’ve seen Herbig do in their own stadium.
_With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that_ [_change the team talked about_](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/02/steelers-make-their-coaching-changes-they-still-manage-to-disappoint/) _after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract._
_There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. The dust is settled on both free agency and_ [_the 2025 NFL Draft_](https://www.nfl.com/draft/)_. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?_