49ers land Steelers’ 16-sack edge rusher in trade proposal

Trades a big part of every NFL offseason up to and during the draft. This year has been no different for the San Francisco 49ers, who already sent their third-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano pinpointed a hypothetical trade for every NFL team ahead of the draft, and landed on a move that would land Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig for the 49ers. In this scenario, San Francisco would send the No. 58 pick and a conditional 2027 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for Herbig.

Their pass rush was completely punchless last season, with Bryce Huff leading the team with just four sacks. They are hopeful that both Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams will be healthy and back in their old form next season, but they could use another body in the rotation. Herbig, 24, is stuck in a rotation behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in Pittsburgh and in the final year of his contract. He had 13 sacks in a limited role over the past two seasons and would be well worth the high pick it would probably cost for the Steelers to swap him.

This trade makes sense if the 49ers aren't confident in the 2026 edge rusher class. While they could draft one at No. 27 or even No. 58, general manager John Lynch may opt to use a draft pick for an established edge rusher like Herbig. The 24-year-old has 16 sacks and nine forced in three NFL seasons for the Steelers despite never being a full-time starter. That's solid production for a rotational player, and one new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris could mold into a full-time starter if Bosa and Williams don't come back from their ACL injuries quickly.

The price is a little hefty, but it might be worth it to shore up one of the most important positions for the 49ers, and one that they severely lacked this past season.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL trade rumors: 49ers land Nick Herbig from Steelers in proposal