The Pittsburgh Steelers spent a fourth-round pick on former Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig in the 2023 NFL draft. He was introduced as an outside linebacker and when outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin talked about Herbig’s role on the team, he led with that as well.
However, Martin didn’t rule out the idea of Herbig making a position change if it was necessary.
“Right now, he’s gonna start at outside linebacker, that’s what we have him at. 240 [pounds] is good, but we’ll get with G on that,” Martin said. “I like him right now at his 240 weight, to be honest with you. He’s definitely athletic enough to do that, but like I said, we’re gonna start him at that outside ‘backer and try to make a big-time player out of him there first.”
As a point of comparison, T.J. Watt is listed at 252 pounds which is a significant bump. However, the team only lists Alex Highsmith at 242 pounds which is much closer to what Herbig plays. Highsmith looks much bigger than that on the field but we will trust the numbers.
If Highsmith can have the success he has at a weight that light, there’s no reason to believe Herbig can’t also.
