The Pittsburgh Steelers had quite an overwhelming offseason as the organization went through a ton of changes, with the most notable being on the coaching staff as Pittsburgh saw a change at head coach for the first time in nearly two decades. There was also a ton of change on the roster. Pittsburgh made the choice to move on from some players, while also filling some holes via trade and through free agency. However, the biggest influx of new talent came from the 2026 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh entered the event with 12 selections, and the organization wound up picking 10 players in the event that all made the team.
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Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan stands on the field surface and looks off into the distance as the team participates in a 2026 training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
There were a ton of flashy selections made by the Steelers, including tackle Max Iheanachor, wide receiver Germie Bernard, and quarterback Drew Allar. Those guys were all picked within the first two days of the event, but the Steelers still had five picks to make on the third day of the draft. The organization took the approach of drafting the best player available on the third day rather than drafting for need, and the franchise wound up selecting running back/wide receiver/return specialist Eli Heidenreich in the seventh round of the event.
Heidenreich was an interesting pick as he came from Navy, and it is not often that skill players are selected from the service academies. He is also versatile as he saw extensive snaps at both running back and wide receiver while also returning kicks, and he is a native of Pittsburgh, which the fan base loves. He had en emotional walkout on the draft stage in Pittsburgh when his name was called, but it hasn't all been great since then. He has been a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh's last two games, and Bob Labriola was asked what's going on with the rookie in a recent edition of Asked and Answered.
"For a seventh-round draft pick (230th overall) to make the 53-man roster coming out of training camp is a significant accomplishment, and I would characterize your expectation that Eli Heidenreich have a role on game days is overly ambitious," Labriola wrote. "Heidenreich is not deserving of playing time at running back or wide receiver over the guys currently getting a helmet, and he's not a core special teams player either. That very well could change for Heidenreich, either as he develops or as there are injuries. But right now the 'plan' for him is to continue to work on his craft and develop while contributing as much as he can as a member of the scout team during practice each week."
Labriola states that there is no skill player on offense whom Heidenreich should be playing over, and he has not carved out a significant role for himself on special teams either.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Eli Heidenreich participates in training camp drills at Saint Vincent College in 2026.
That can change, but as of right now Pittsburgh seems content with allowing him to have a role on the scout team while continuing to develop throughout his rookie season.
Steelers Fans Love Eli Heidenreich
Heidenreich has been popular ever since being selected on the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft. He has been compared to Christian McCaffrey due to his versatility, which is probably an unfair comparison to make for a rookie that was drafted in the seventh round. Despite his popularity amongst the fan base, fans should not be expecting to see him on the field anytime soon. He isn't going to see playing time over Jaylen Warren or Rico Dowdle, and he was ruled inactive while the Steelers chose to call up Lew Nichols from the practice squad instead. Heidenreich seemingly has a long road to seeing the field, but that could come at some point during his rookie season, or fans may have to wait until 2027.
What do you think about Labriola's assessment of Pittsburgh's plan for Heidenreich? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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