The Pittsburgh Steelers selected former Wisconsin EDGE Nick Herbig in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft to fill their need for depth at the position. When NFL analysts Doug Farrar and Greg Cosell talked draft on the X’s and O’s podcast, Cosell said Herbig is one of his favorite picks in the draft.
Here’s what Cosell had to say about Herbid and a potential position change:
I think he just knows how to rush the quarterback, and that’s trait that’s always in demand. Now, people are going to look at his weight [6-foot-2, 240] and his arm length [31 1/4 inches, which is 18th percentile among edge-rushers since 1999], and that’s one reason I’m sure he was drafted in the fourth round. His tape tells you that he’s a very good pass-rusher, but then, you try to project his transition, and teams might say, ‘I’m not sure.’ And that’s a fair debate to have. He played almost exclusively on the ball, and some people have projected him to be an off-ball linebacker. I don’t know what the Steelers’ plan is for him. But he has slippery, explosive traits as an edge-rusher, he had subtle hand usage, he was able to clear the arc, flatten his rush path, and close with speed to the quarterback.
Count me among those who could see Herbig’s traits translating well to inside linebacker, similar to how the Steelers moved Lawrence Timmons to the inside. If the Steelers can figure out a way to utilize Herbig inside on early downs and then slide him outside as a situational pass rusher it would be the best-case scenario for the Steelers and Herbig.
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