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Former Wisconsin Badgers LB emerging as star NFL pass rusher in breakout 2025 season

It's not often that star pass rusher T.J. Watt gets outshined, but that's been the case for much of this NFL season thanks to the emergence of another former Wisconsin Badger on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lorin Cox|
Nov 12, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Nick Herbig (19) reacts after a sack against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium.
Nov 12, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Nick Herbig (19) reacts after a sack against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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It's not often that star pass rusher T.J. Watt gets outshined, especially on his own team. But that has been the case for much of this season thanks to the emergence of another former Wisconsin Badger on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nick Herbig is in the midst of a breakout season, and at the age of just 24, he's looking like the next star Wisconsin pass rusher in the NFL.

He was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2023 draft and has been the team's No. 3 pass rusher behind Watt and Alex Highsmith to begin his career.

But injuries to Highsmith the last two seasons have given Herbig extended playing time with the starters, and he has taken full advantage.

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This season, he looks every bit as dominant as he did in Madison with the Badgers, and he's overshadowing Watt in the process.

Herbig led the Steelers in sacks up until two weeks ago when T.J. passed his older brother J.J. in his career total, but Herbig remains just a half sack behind Watt on the season.

Herbig still leads Pittsburgh in total pressures generated this season, according to PFF, and he has a higher win rate on his pass rushes than Watt.

He is PFF's fifth highest-graded edge rusher in the NFL this season, with 12 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

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Herbig is starting to produce in the pros the way he did at Wisconsin.

As a junior in 2022, he led the Big Ten with 11 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. The year before, he brought the quarterback down nine times and added four pass breakups.

He was a well-rounded defensive play-maker for the Badgers, but he had some concerns about a lack of size and physical tools entering the NFL.

That helped him fall to the fourth round and become a steal for Pittsburgh, who saw his potential the whole way and are reaping the rewards.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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