‘All-around player’ Nick Herbig a force whenever he gets his opportunities for Steelers

Nick Herbig chuckled with a slight shake of his head.

It was broached to the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker both that he is undersized and that he carries a reputation that he might not be the most stout against the run.

“Nothing,” Herbig said, “I haven’t heard said about me before.”

As his coach, Mike Tomlin, referenced earlier this week, Herbig might not even be a Steeler — and almost certainly wouldn’t have been a mere fourth-round pick — if he was taller than 6-foot-2 or heavier than his listed 240 pounds.

Herbig’s pass rushing resume speaks for itself. And while he’ll never be able to grow any bigger than he is, Herbig is determined to do what he can to shake what teammates say is an undeserved label that he’s shaky in stopping the run.

“I think that’s the stigma around me,” Herbig said, acknowledging perceived deficiencies in rushing defense. “I’m just getting stereotyped because of my size. I mean, that’s whatever though; people always got opinions, but it’s whatever. I just go out there and perform my best for this team so we can get a (win).”

Herbig grew up in Hawaii 3 ½ years younger than brother Nate, who made the NFL listed at 6-4, 334 pounds. In that context, Nick Herbig has a different perspective than most humans do of standing 6-2, 240.

“I’ve been small my whole life. I’ve been going against (Nate, a former Steelers teammate),” Herbig said. “So I just have always had that chip on my shoulder since I was a little kid. And I don’t think size matters.”

Herbig stands tall via big-time game as a pass rusher.

Herbig had a strip sack and was credited by the NFL with four QB hits during what was his first start of the season last week at the New England Patriots. Pro Football Focus credited Herbig with six overall “pressures” of Drake Maye in the victory, tied for the fifth-most of any NFL edge rusher during Week 3.

We'll take that ????

????: #PITvsNE on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/d1b2EhI2A1

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 21, 2025

Despite missing the season opener because of a knee injury, Herbig ranks fourth in the league for the season in QB hits. This coming off a season in which he graded out by PFF as the league’s fourth-best pass rusher among edge defenders.

The other six among the top seven in 2024 PFF edge pass rush grades? It reads like a who’s who of NFL pass rushers: Aiden Hutchinson, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Herbig, Trey Hendrickson, T.J. Watt and Nick Bosa.

“Certainly, he has the potential for ‘splash,’” Tomlin said this week. “That has been a component of his game since Day Zero (entering the league). You know he’s good in passing circumstances. He has a feel for the game. He’s ball aware. So, I don’t believe any of us are surprised by his ability to produce sack-fumbles or come up with the football. He’s done that since Day Zero he got here.”

Nick Herbig (#51) was arguably the Steelers best defender on Sunday, gave Will Campbell a lot of problems with his speed. Sets him up outside then darts back in, forcing Maye to scramble into a Watt sack pic.twitter.com/1tmhULjrPm

— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) September 24, 2025

Because the Steelers have had two veteran stalwarts on the roster at his position pre-dating when they drafted Herbig in 2023, this past week was just his sixth NFL start. He’s played only 718 defensive snaps in his career. For context, the Steelers played almost 1,100 defensive snaps over the entirety of the 2024 season.

Extrapolated out, that means that even if Herbig “only” has 9 ½ career sacks that over a full season’s worth of snaps he would have closer to 14. To wit, consider that Herbig is amidst a second consecutive season in which he had a better pass rush win rate than NFL superstar Watt, who also serves as his mentor.

“He’s continually asking the right questions,” Watt said. “He’s doing everything right on the field, off the field, watching film, constantly trying to ask how he can do things better. You guys know him as a phenomenal pass rusher, seriously one of the better pass rushers we have. And he’s stout against the run, as well. That’s something that he takes a lot of pride in. I know he gets knocked for his size a lot, but I think he’s a hell of an all-around player.”

This is a high-level play by Nick Herbig that's easy to overlook ⤵️

After the PA fake, the #Steelers EDGE adjusts his pursuit angle on a dime to beat Drake Maye to the spot. Prevents what would be an easy TD pic.twitter.com/x7Wr3H6CmF

— Bradley Locker (@Bradley_Locker) September 22, 2025

Per ESPN, Herbig is tied for the best pass rush win rate among any NFL edge defender this season (35%).

With Highsmith out again for Sunday’s game in Dublin against the Minnesota Vikings, Herbig will have an international stage to again start and showcase he’s not merely some undersized backup, or so-called “one-trick pony” who excels at getting sacks.

“He’s stepping in and playing like the starter he is,” defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward said. “It’s been awesome. He provides an energy boost, and he’s getting solid in the run game. He just benefits the group.”