Ranking all 7 Steelers rookies from worst to best following the 2023 preseason

Steelers best rookie: Nick Herbig

As I have done in various other posts concerning him, I once again am eating some crow on my initial thoughts on Nick Herbig. Of all seven picks, he was my least favorite one. I struggled to believe that Herbig would be able to remain an edge rusher. His lack of size and length would certainly make him an outlier if he becomes a significant player in the position.

Even after training camp opened and the early results looked good, I still doubted Herbig. He was schooling Le’Raven Clark early in camp, but that certainly isn’t that notable. Clark has become a journeyman and had a horrible camp beyond just his battles with Herbig.

The positive reports didn’t stop though. Every practice seemed to have another good showing from the fourth-round pick. This all culminated in his first preseason game, where he continued to show his ability to get off the line quickly and pressure the quarterback. His practice and game tape matched incredibly.

He didn’t slow down either. Positive practices continued to stack and Herbig continued to dominate in games. He has been one of the best preseason defenders to this point, and you have to wonder just how far up the depth chart he has moved because of his strong play.

While he won’t start nor will he see snaps over Markus Golden, Herbig has likely made a great case to be more than just a special teams player this season. Herbig should see some defensive snaps, it is all because of his preseason performance. Herbig had one of the strongest camps in recent years, and it should pay dividends for this defense.

It was a strong preseason for the Steelers rookie class as a whole. While some players outshined others, it was a good showing for the entire class. That said, these rankings best reflect who had the best and worst first offseason for the team.