Nick Herbig

Pos: EDGE

School: Wisconsin

Ht. 6’2″ 

Wt. 240

Games Watched: Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa(2021)

One Liner: Fluid outside linebacker that wins with athleicism, twitch and technique

Strengths: 

  • Very good athlete. Herbig is a fluid mover in space, and was often tasked with sliding back in coverage, where he would demonstrate good lateral agility and fluidity in his hips and body rotations. He has the necessary shiftiness and twitch when rushing the passer to confuse lineman and provoke missteps on the blocking end.
  • Very good technique. When rushing the passer, Herbig demonstrated some high quality technique with good hand placement/timing and would utilize his legs to maintain good positioning and low pad leverage at the POA. 
  • Good rush moves. Herbig had a nice tool bag and utilized a couple rush moves constantly, specifically a swim move which allowed him to get skinny and twitch through the blockers and into the backfield.
  • Good football IQ. Herbig displayed solid play recognition and understanding of plays before they fully developed. He would be ready for contact against runs and maintain good positioning in his zone drops against the pass.

Weaknesses:

  • Poor frame. At 240 pounds and 6’2, Herbig struggled as a pass rusher once he was engaged in contact. His frame is slender and lacks the bulk needed to outmuscle opposing lineman at the point of attack. He doesn’t have the contact balance to really set the edge as a run defender at the next level. 
  • Marginal strength. On top of a poor frame, Herbig was not particularly strong either. He would easily be sealed off against the run, and posed little to no threat once lineman got their arms in his chest, against the run or against the pass.

Overall Assessment: Nick Herbig is an athletic rusher who has the technique and arsenal to be a nice pass rushing specialist that can drop back into coverage when needed as well. However he will be limited in the long run with his frame unless he adds sigifnicant bulk and muscle up to become a more viable competitor against pro tackles. There is still upside with Herbig, who can be a successful speed rusher if he is able to maintain his athletic ability with some pounds added to his frame.

Scheme Fit: odd front outside linebacker, pass rushing specialist and special teams contributor

Pick Projection: Early 3rd round

Grade: 6.27