Rookie Nick Herbig adds T.J. Watt-inspired pass-rush move, already impressing at Steelers camp

They share a position and an alma mater, and since late April they have been NFL teammates. As such, it’s no surprise Nick Herbig has looked to T.J. Watt for mentorship.

And while much of the fruits of that labor typically will show in more subtle, intangible ways, it took only three practices of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp for Herbig to put on a shining display for all of what he already has been learning from Watt.

Herbig impressed during team drills on the opening few days of camp. Though the sizable caveat should be noted that pads aren’t yet on, Herbig has been a regular at beating offensive tackles to get to the quarterback. Though “sacks” aren’t possible in a practice setting — indeed, “finishing” plays is part of what makes the best pass rushers — Herbig quickly has shown the pass-rushing resume he showed at Wisconsin wasn’t by accident.

And, at times, Herbig has been getting into the offense’s backfield by way of duping blockers via a “duck under” move — one he didn’t have in his arsenal in college.

“That’s new,” Herbig, a fourth-round pick, said after a walkthrough Saturday at Saint Vincent. “I learned that from T.J. If you watch him, he uses that move a lot. I work on it with him a lot.

“I actually saw him do it on film while I watched film with him, and then I asked him about it.”

When the #Steelers’ draft class joins the veterans on the practice fields for the start of organized team activities, Nick Herbig will play on the same team as brother Nate for the first time since they were learning the sport in the youth leagues. https://t.co/nno20mgXlO

— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) May 21, 2023

Only one Power 5 conference player had more sacks last season than Herbig’s 11. He also graded as the third-best Power 5 pass rusher in the country by Pro Football Focus.

Six years earlier, Watt had 11 ½ sacks for Wisconsin. Of course, he since has become a perennial All-Pro for the Steelers, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year when he tied the season record for sacks with 22 ½.

What better role model for Herbig as he begins to embark on an NFL career?

“You really get to see what he’s like when the lights aren’t on,” Herbig said, “because everyone only gets to see him when the lights are on on Sundays what he does. And he’s really a heck of a player, but you don’t get to see what goes on behind the scenes with all the work he puts in and the routines and the schedule he’s on. It’s really second to none. I admire that about him.”

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