(2023) Nick Herbig- EDGE/LB- Wisconsin

Nick Herbig

EDGE/LB

6’2, 228

Junior

Strengths	Weaknesses
Downhill Speed and Pursuit Diverse Pass Rush Moveset Play Diagnosis Solid Block Shedder High Motor Positional Versatility	Concerning Size Profile Can Miss Tackles Hard to Project NFL Role

2022 Statistics (Per PFF)

*(Ranking is not applicable, only played 192 pass rush snaps)

2022 Statistic	Total	Ranking *	Rank Percentile
Pressures	34	N/A	N/A
Sacks	11	N/A	N/A
Hurries	17	N/A	N/A
Pass Rush Win Rate	23.9%	N/A	N/A
QB Hits	6	N/A	N/A
Tackles	30	N/A	N/A
Missed Tackle %	16.7%	N/A	N/A

Write-Up:

Nick Herbig is a very productive edge rusher and linebacker out of Wisconsin. He produced 21 total sacks and 80 pressures in only 3 seasons with the Badgers. He did miss 2 games with an injury this season, but has been fairly durable overall. At Wisconsin, Herbig played as both a typical 5-tech pass rusher and as an off-ball linebacker, and was asked to drop into coverage a fair bit, where he was moderately successful.

Herbig shows a lot of good traits on his tape that are going to draw plenty of attention from NFL scouts. He has very good speed and agility when working downhill, and is a very dangerous pursuer. He can win as a pass rusher to the outside with this speed as well. In addition, Herbig also has a very deep bag of pass rushing moves, such as a cross-chop and bull rush that are very effective and he will catch opposing blockers off guard if they are unprepared. He is an intelligent player and is not easily fooled by misdirection, and can quickly diagnose a play. While his size can be an issue in the run game, he demonstrated the ability to shed blockers in college, although much bigger tackles and guards did give him problems at times. Herbig plays with an extremely high motor on almost every play. At Wisconsin, he was asked to play both as an edge rusher and off-ball linebacker, which does give him the potential of some positional versatility that other players in the class do not have.

As unfortunate as it is, the elephant in the room is Herbig’s size and length. He is listed at 6’2, 228 lbs as of his junior year in college, which is incredibly small for a potential NFL edge rusher. He did struggle somewhat against much larger tackles in college, and that problem may only be exacerbated at the next level. He could be forced into a role as an off-ball linebacker, but his coverage skills were just okay at best in college, and again his length would still be an issue in that role as well. Apart from all of that, Herbig was not the most secure tackler, only causing more concerns. 

I truly do believe that Nick Herbig can become a solid NFL player, in whatever role he ends up having to play. But the size concerns will scare a lot of teams off, and ultimately drop him in the draft, despite how many good things he shows off on tape.

Draft Projection: Round 3-4