Steelers rookie comparisons: LB Nick Herbig
By Austin Lloyd
We’ve been breaking down NFL comparisons for all of the Steelers 2023 draft picks, and something that’s been easy to notice is the balanced nature of the team’s selection process. So far, we’ve covered two offensive players and two defensive players, and the most recent of the bunch was tight end Darnell Washington.
With that in mind, it would be all too fitting to have another defensive stud lined up for today and, thanks to the acquisition of Nick Herbig, that’s exactly what we have.
Herbig is a linebacker out of Wisconsin that Pittsburgh snatched off the board with the 132nd pick. With his brother, guard Nate Herbig, having been signed by the Steelers back in March, Nick was not only an attractive choice due to his on-field abilities, but also his familial ties (a trait that the franchise has always had a sweet spot for). However, that is not meant to imply that said abilities didn't headline his appeal.
While with the Badgers, Herbig established an aggressive mindset that was the perfect complement to the versatility of his pass-rushing methods. His knack for storming the backfield was undoubtedly one of his biggest selling points, as that was precisely what put fellow Wisconsin product Keeanu Benton on Pittsburgh’s draft radar.
None of that should come as a surprise though, as the Steelers are historically associated with relentless defense. In fact, there is one player that helped cement such an image for the organization and, as a result, helped himself stand out as a favorite to be our comparison for Herbig: Kevin Greene.
Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, there were very few that could replicate the consistency at which the late Kevin Greene assaulted offenses, so Herbig even being in a conversation with him is surely flattering for the young man. But what do the two have in common that justifies it?
As always, dimensions are the first to turn heads
Well, the first things to note when developing an adequate comparison are always the players’ dimensions, and that is exactly where the pair’s similarities begin. Herbig is listed as being 6’2”, 240 lbs. while Greene was 6’3”, 247 lbs.; a slight difference, but nothing major.
Yet, as we’ve mentioned time and time again, being within the same size range speaks for only so much on its own. What seals the deal is that being combined with other similarities, particularly the visual ones they share when actually on the gridiron. Luckily, anyone who is remotely familiar with the legacy Greene left behind knows that the two check that box as well.
With experience at both the linebacker and defensive end positions, Kevin Greene was a versatile pass-rusher. By the end of his NFL career, he had mastered the craft to such a degree that he finished with 10 of his 15 seasons seeing double-digit sacks. In total, he would go on to have 160 sacks, 26 fumble recoveries, and three safeties to his name.
A résumé like that one shows a killer instinct that only the most elite of defenders could ever hope to possess, so to claim that Herbig has displayed it before even playing a preseason game would be rather unfair. However, when referring to the description of him that we provided earlier, it does appear that the seed has at least been planted—and that’s enough for now.
Though he didn’t wear the black and yellow for exceptionally long, Kevin Greene’s overpowering nature was able to meet even the Steelers qualifications for being a defensive superstar. If anything we’ve observed today is indicative of what Nick Herbig will bring to the table, then he’ll be part of an identical discussion in no time.