T.J. Watt is one of the most well-known defenders in the NFL, but his time to pass the torch might come to the next man might come sooner than you think. This isn't because he's got nothing left; it's because of what his young Pittsburgh Steelers teammate has already shown.
Nick Herbig showcased plenty of flashes in his first two NFL seasons. The former fourth-round pick was thought to be one of the steals of the 2023 NFL Draft... and he's already proving 31 teams wrong for passing on him.
Herbig is coming off the best game of his career in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. With Alex Highsmith (ankle) returning to the field after Pittsburgh's Week 5 bye, Herbig saw his snaps decrease from his previous two games. But there was no holding him back from a monstrous performance against Cleveland.
From the first defensive series until late in the fourth quarter, Herbig was a walking nightmare for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. No matter where he lined up on the field, he made his presence felt.
Herbig finished the game with two sacks, four quarterback hits, a pass defense (that nearly turned into an interception), and six pressures. He also drew a holding call. The young defender's dominance made everyone else's job on the Steelers' defensive line look easy.
For his phenomenal effort against the Browns, Herbig earned a game-high 94.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. And just like that, the next Steelers star is already painfully obvious.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a budding superstar in Nick Herbig
If this were the only dominant performance we've seen from Herbig in his first three seasons, we might be able to chalk this up to just a great game. But we've witnessed what he's capable of, and there's no denying his incredible ability to get after the quarterback.
Roughly one-third of the way through the 2025 season, Herbig is on pace to earn 15.5 sacks, 20 tackles for a loss, 51 quarterback hits, and 68 pressures. These are phenomenal numbers that would rival even T.J. Watt in some of his best seasons.
But Herbig's early-season performance is even more impressive when you consider the full context.
Because of a hamstring injury suffered during the preseason, Herbig didn't suit up for the Steelers in Week 1 against the New York Jets. So instead of playing all five games for Pittsburgh this year, he's only played four so far. This makes his outstanding statistical pace all the more impressive.
Not only that, but Herbig is doing all of this despite making just two starts this season. In two of his four games, Highsmith made the start for Pittsburgh, and Herbig saw his total defensive snaps decrease. Somehow, this didn't prevent him from being the star of the show.
What's most remarkable is that Herbig is still just 23 years old and is only getting better. If the Pittsburgh Steelers' budding star continues on this pace, he could be in line for Defensive Player of the Year votes.
It's hard enough to find one DPOY gem like T.J. Watt, but the Steelers might have unknowingly stumbled upon their next great edge rusher. Nick Herbig already looks fantastic early in his NFL career, and he keeps getting better.