He might find himself as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ third outside linebacker behind star T.J. Watt and the vastly underrated Alex Highsmith, but third-year pro Nick Herbig is starting to garner quite a bit of attention when it comes to the rest of the league.
Herbig doesn’t see many snaps, but when he gets on the field he’s a handful for opposing offenses. That’s why Pro Football Focus named Herbig one of the 10 players who just missed its annual top 25 under 25 rankings, putting him in company with Tampa Bay RB Bucky Irving, Baltimore WR Zay Flowers, Los Angeles OT Joe Alt, Philadelphia CB Quinyon Mitchell, and more.
“Injuries and a crowded depth chart have limited Herbig’s role over his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, but when he was on the field in 2024, he made a significant impact,” PFF’s Zoltan Buday writes. “His 91.5 PFF pass-rushing grade ranked fourth among edge defenders, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons. Herbig posted a 19.6% pass-rush win rate, seventh among 110 qualifying edge defenders and the highest among Steelers at the position.
“Thanks to his ability to convert pressures into sacks at an elite rate, he also recorded a 13.0 pass-rushing productivity score, second only to Hutchinson over the year.”
Last season in a reserve role, Herbig played 416 snaps defensively and finished with a grade of 81.9 overall from PFF, including a stellar 91.8 pass-rush grade on just 219 pass-rush snaps.
In those 219 pass-rush snaps, Herbig generated 26 pressures, 5.5 sacks, and added four forced fumbles on the season.
After a strong rookie season that saw him create some havoc off the edge, Herbig turned in a very good second season, showing off his speed and athleticism off the edge, which allows him to bend the edge among the best pass rushers in the game.
He still has some issues as a run defender, finishing with a run-defense grade of just 47.0 on the season, but when he’s getting after the passer, Herbig is among the best in the game at generating pressures and finishing with sacks.
Having that type of player as their No. 3 OLB is huge for the Steelers. Entering the 2025 season the Steelers should be focused on getting Herbig more snaps to help keep Watt and Highsmith fresh throughout games and late into the season. The Steelers could also further utilize three-OLB sets when all are healthy.
With more snaps could come more production, continuing to put Herbig further on the NFL map as a truly difficult pass rusher to deal with for opposing offenses. With a big year, too, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Herbig crack the top 25 under 25 list next offseason.
Recommended for you