Projecting how college players will transition to the NFL is nothing new for scouts and front office personnel. For years, the Steelers had to make the right decisions on which college defensive ends had the athleticism to make the transition to 3-4 outside linebacker. The same held true for other positions. In the case of Donnie Shell, could a small linebacker become a safety? Or in the most extreme case of projecting, could NCAA heavyweight wresting champion Carlton Haselrig develop into an offensive lineman?
The answer was yes on both accounts. When it comes to their 2023 draft class, the Steelers are betting on their projections that Nick Herbig and Cory Trice can play more than one position in the NFL. With offenses becoming more specialized, there is a growing need for players entering the league to have multiple skill sets.
And the Steelers believe they picked up two players who can provide some much-needed flexibility in how they match up with the diverse styles of play that populate the league.
Herbig (fourth round) and Trice (seventh) have the potential to play multiple positions, which provides the coaches with flexibility when they construct the 53-man roster, and more specifically, the 46-man game day roster.
The Steelers think Herbig can play outside and inside linebacker after primarily playing on the edge for Wisconsin. At 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, Herbig does not have the traditional size to play 3-4 outside linebacker, but he possesses the athleticism and smarts to play off the ball. The Steelers not only valued Herbig’s intangible qualities, but his diversified set of skills.
“We think he is a guy that can do both,” assistant general manager Andy Weidl said. “He has that ability. He has a high football IQ. I think you saw a little bit there in playing on the line of scrimmage, his ability to get off and rush the passer and also his ability as a stack backer to drop into coverage with the awareness he has.
“He is a high-energy, relentless football player. Very physical. The one thing with Nick that jumps off is he is always passing people to the ball. He is looking for work. He makes plays. He is capable of making negative plays. He is capable of winning off the edge. He is capable of winning in the rush game. He is capable of making negative plays in the run game. So we’re excited. We saw him as a Steeler type of player and Steeler type of person.”
The Steelers drafted a similar player last year when they invested a third-round pick in DeMarvin Leal. Only Leal is a defensive tackle who has the athleticism and body type to play on the edge as a 3-4 outside linebacker, which he did for a time as a rookie when T.J. Watt was injured.
It appears the Steelers will take a similar approach with Herbig. They are drawn to his versatility and don’t want to put any limits on how he might be able to contribute.
“He is a 21-year-old,” Weidl said. “We think he will get bigger and we’ll let that happen naturally. When you have a guy that’s tough and that loves football, usually those guys hit their ceilings. They maximize their potential, and a lot of times they’ll go above it. He is one of those guys, we feel.”
Once upon a time, there might have been a push for players like Herbig and Leal to become one or the other, but the Steelers are choosing to embrace who they are.
While the buzz word around the league is “position-less” football, coach Mike Tomlin prefers to label it as a specialization. Whatever you want to call it, the more versatile the player, the better chance he has of succeeding in the league.
“Positions that we didn’t necessarily identify as positions years ago have very specific roles,” Tomlin said. “I think the nickel, the interior corner, is a position in today’s game. The dime linebacker or the passing-situations linebacker, for example, is a really specific position in today’s game. There are interior rushers. Those guys oftentimes play on the edge on run downs. It’s a highly specialized game today. In one vein, I think you can call it position-less. I think you can go the other direction and say it’s very specialized.”
Trice played outside corner at Purdue, and the Steelers plan to try him there in the early stages of his career, but at 6-3, 206, he has the size to play safety in the league. He will begin his career at cornerback, but the Steelers are open to a position switch down the road.
“I think a lot of those answers will be found out when he gets in here and we start moving him around,” defensive backs coach Grady Brown said. “You look at a person’s ability to learn different positions and everything like that, but one thing he has shown is that he can be a corner in this league.”
Herbig and Trice arrive this week with the rest of this year’s rookie and undrafted free agent class. Rookie minicamp will be held Friday through Sunday at the UMPC Rooney Sports Complex.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: May 8, 2023, 3:03 p.m.