Steelers keep the draft a family affair by taking LB Nick Herbig in 4th round

Brotherly love continued for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday in the NFL Draft.

In what seems to be an annual occurrence, the Steelers added to their legacy of brother combinations when they drafted Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig with their fourth-round pick.

Herbig, 21, was drafted by the Steelers less than two months after they signed big brother Nate, a guard, in free agency.

A year ago, the Steelers added tight end Connor Heyward to the family, joining Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. They also had the Watt, Edmunds and Davis brothers on the roster in recent years.

And don’t forget they have a father/son legacy duo in the annals after the drafting of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the second round.

“The Steelers are everything I’m about — faith, family and football,” Nick Herbig said. “That’s it. Everything fell right. They’re all about family, all about everything. My brother and I are looking to keep that trend going.”

When Nate Herbig signed with the Steelers in March, he openly lobbied for the organization to take his younger brother in the draft.

“I already came in the building screaming it,” Nate Herbig said at his introductory press conference six weeks ago. “Like, come on, let’s get him here. Nick Herbig, stud. Absolute stud. I should be his agent.”

Big brother — Nate is 25 — was one of the first people Nick embraced after receiving the call that he would be the second member of his family to earn employment with the Steelers.

“There is no way,” Nick Herbig said of his reaction when he received the phone call with the 412 area code. “I’m about to be a Steeler with my brother. I started crying. I couldn’t hold it in. My brother just gave me a hug and said he loved me.”

Because of their age disparity, the Herbigs haven’t suited up on the same team since they were kids growing up in Hawaii.

“We shared the same dream, we work out together, we do everything together,” Nick said. “That is my best friend. I don’t think blood could make us any closer.”

In 2019, when Nate Herbig entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from Stanford, Nick played his senior season at Hawaii’s famed Saint Louis High School. His college path led him to Wisconsin where he became a three-year starter for the Badgers.

In 2022, Herbig contributed 11 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss among his 47 overall stops. He also broke up two passes and forced two fumbles while becoming a first-team all-conference selection in the Big Ten and a third-team All-American. He did it with a 6-foot-2, 240-pound frame that makes him undersized for the position.

Herbig’s production made him attractive as a middle-round option for the Steelers, who have little depth on the roster behind starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

“We’ve always been trying to find that rotational piece, that third or fourth piece,” outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin said. “It’s huge. It’s what we’re looking for.”

Herbig joins Wisconsin teammate Keeanu Benton among Steelers draft picks. Watt and Isaiahh Loudermilk, along with practice-squad safety Scott Nelson, are other former Badgers on the Steelers roster.

“They do a good job,” Martin said. “They do a lot of things on defense (like us), too. They are smart, they know what they are looking for on the recruiting trail, and it’s attractive to us.”

That Herbig already had a brother in the organization didn’t hurt his cause, either.

“This is all we ever wanted,” Nick Herbig said. “This is all we worked for. We dedicated our whole life for this. It’s here now. It’s time.”