The Pittsburgh Steelers made some waves throughout the 2026 NFL Draft as the city hosted the event and broke the attendance record. It was a sight to behold, and to add some gasoline to the fire, the Steelers had 12 selections in the event. The draft did not start out well for the Steelers however, as they were embarrassed and leapfrogged by the cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver Makai Lemon. The rest of the event went on, and the franchise continued to hype up the fan base by drafting an exciting wide receiver, quarterback, and eventually a running back that is a native of Mt. Lebanon.
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Steelers' Eli Heidenreich during mandatory minicamp in 2026.
The Steelers drafted Eli Heidenreich in the seventh round out of Navy. It is pretty rare that a service academy has a player at a skill position get selected in the NFL Draft, but Heidenreich was hard to pass up due to his versatility and his pure athleticism. He saw significant reps at both running back and wide receiver in college, and he should get a shot to line up in both spots for Pittsburgh throughout training camp and the preseason.
The rookie was on the most recent episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast, and he spoke about his time at Navy and his experience at the draft. He noted that he could have wound up with General Manager Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the Steelers not selected him when they did.
"I think we were early in the seventh round, or maybe it happened in the sixth round," Heidenreich said. "My agent was talking to Tampa Bay and I agreed kind of that like I would sign with them in preferred free agency, so I was kind of set there. Then I was sitting and I got that phone call. I picked it up and it was Omar [Khan]."
Free agency after the NFL Draft is always an interesting thing, and a lot of times prospects that are still around at the end of the draft would rather not hear their name called so they can basically enter free agency right away. This doesn't necessarily mean more money, but it does mean getting to pick the best situation for said player.
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Steelers running back Eli Heidenreich on the field during rookie minicamp in 2026.
Heidenreich probably did not fall into that mold as he was in attendance at the draft and he wanted to hear his name called. He also wound up getting drafted by his hometown team, which is something to celebrate. He walked out on stage twirling the Terrible Towel to a bunch of Pittsburgh fans cheering for him, and it had to be a surreal moment, regardless of what happens throughout the rest of his time with the Steelers.
Heidenreich is in a weird spot, however. He is a fan favorite for sure, but he faces an uphill battle when it comes to making the final roster. He is going to have to prove that he can be useful out of the backfield, in the receiving game, and on special teams. He is not going to be able to excel in just one area and make the roster. He has to be able to do more as he will be on the bubble of the final roster.
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Steelers' Eli Heidenreich stands on stage after being drafted by the team in the seven round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Steelers Need To Be Careful With Roster Moves
There has been talk about Heidenreich potentially being stashed on the practice squad to begin the regular season, but that is going to be risky. That is especially true with a team like Tampa Bay having already shown interest in the young running back. The Buccaneers’ top running back, Bucky Irving, has had a odd mix of injuries over the past year and his health is still up in the air. Heidenreich could certainly still be an attractive player to them if he makes it onto the practice squad.
Tampa Bay already has a ton of Pittsburgh influence in the building for the 2026 season. Danny Smith is now over there, as is Kenneth Gainwell and Miles Killebrew.
What do you think about Heidenreich almost being in Tampa Bay? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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