NFL training camp is finally almost upon us. Pittsburgh Steelers fans are chomping at the bit to see which returning players have improved over the offseason and which new players will live up to the hype. After such a busy offseason, there is a lot of hype to live up to.
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Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt (#90) participates in the 2022 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The Steelers are under the direction of their new General Manager, Omar Khan and new assistant General Manager, Andy Weidl. Khan was promoted when long-time GM Kevin Colbert stepped down after the 2022 NFL Draft. While Khan is not new to the organization, this was his first time directing free agency and the NFL Draft this offseason. There were many who expected him to be nothing more than Colbert part two, but that couldn't be further from true.
Weidl was added to the staff prior to the start of the 2022 season. He had previously been the Vice President of player personnel with the Philadelphia Eagles. While the two don't necessarily like to be broken into roles - Weidl as the scout guy and Khan as the numbers guy - the truth is they both have their strengths.
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Steelers General Manager, Omar Khan. |
The 2023 offseason showed that roles or not, the two combine to make an incredible team. Fans might have had high expectations, but it seems that Khan and Weidl far exceeded those. They brought in incredible veterans during free agency including Isaac Seumalo and Patrick Peterson. During the 2023 NFL Draft, they seemed to get the exact players they wanted and more.
Former Steelers OG Ramon Foster Shares His Potential Break-Out Player for 2023 Training Camp
Recently, former Steelers offensive guard, Ramon Foster, was asked on his popular podcast who he thinks will surprise fans at training camp in Latrobe, PA. Foster, who co-hosts a show on DK Pittsburgh Sports with reporter Dejan Kovacevic called The Ramon Foster Show, didn't even hesitate.
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University of Wisconsin linebacker, Nick Herbig (#19) celebrates a huge play against Penn State with his teammate.
Nick Herbig, an outside linebacker, is the player Foster said he thinks is going to surprise us all. This isn't a total shocker to long-time listeners of his show. The Steelers picked up Nick's older brother Nate during free agency.
Nate Herbig is an offensive guard and is entering his fifth year in the league. Despite showing promise in college, Nate was undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Eagles in 2019. He spent a year playing for the New York Jets before arriving in Pittsburgh. Nate immediately began suggesting the Steelers consider picking up his younger brother in the draft. Foster wasn't surprised when they did and not just because Pittsburgh loves a set of brothers.
"This is an outside linebacker team," said Foster. "I think defenders have a better jump on developing themselves a little bit. I could see him being 'the guy,' being one of the biggest surprises. It's not a surprise he's a high draft pick, but to jump on the scene of whooping people's butts day in and day out, I can see that."
Nick and Nate are natives of Hawai'i, which is well known for producing excellent football players. Nick played at the University of Wisconsin, which has become "outside linebacker U" after developing players like Steelers teammate, TJ Watt. While Watt is older than Herbig, he was well aware of the young player. After drafting Nick, Watt said that he has been mentoring him for years.
Nick was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round. He finds himself stepping into a room with a ton of talent in the aforementioned phenom Watt, as well as Alex Highsmith, coming off of a career season in 2022 and entering this year with his freshly inked contract extension.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Alex Highsmith pre-snap against the Indianapolis Colts on December 27, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Highsmith always feels like he has a lot to prove and it seems likely he will continue to blow fans and analysts away in 2023. For his part, Watt, who suffered an injury that cost him most of last season, will want to show that the two are the best edge-rushing duo in the NFL. This is an ideal place for a fourth-round pick to grow and learn.
Foster thinks that his gut feeling about Nick is going to be proven to be correct. He thinks that the Steelers' early assessments of him are correct. Nick is a bit smaller than most edge guys at 6'2" and 240 pounds, which led to talk before the draft that some teams were considering turning him into an inside linebacker.
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Pittsburgh Steelers free agency signing, Nate Herbig speaks to the media about joining the team.
After the draft, Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin said he didn't agree with that. Martin feels that Nick has the motor and the athleticism to be successful. The Steelers are looking to make a big-time player out of Nick and Nick has certainly shown that he is highly motivated. According to Foster, it is really going to come down to one training camp drill.
"I am a fan, but he's got to go prove it. I really think it comes down to this right here, and this is barbaric, but it really boils down to the backs on backers for a guy like Nick Herbig. Nick Herbig has to shine in that event and that's barbaric as heck to say, but it's football."
What do you think? Do you think Nick Herbig will impress at training camp? Will he impress enough to work into some kind of rotation with Highsmith and Watt? Click to comment below!
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