The NFL Draft always delivers heartwarming moments. This year’s edition was no different in that regard, and it ended with a bang, thanks to the host team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the 230th overall pick, the Steelers selected Navy running back Eli Heidenreich, one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft. Heidenreich was actually in attendance at the draft, despite not knowing if he was even going to be picked at any point. He was there for a special reason.
Pittsburgh’s Eli Heidenreich goes back to hometown as he’s drafted by Steelers
It was a full circle moment for Heideinreich, who was born in Pittsburgh and played high school football at Mt. Lebanon. But this wasn’t just a feel-good story: Heidenreich has a great shot at making an impact for the Steelers.
The Navy running back was considered a sleeper by many draft analysts. In fact, it was a shock to many that he lasted as long as he did. CBS Sports’ Mike Renner said before the draft that Heidenreich and San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey are “about as identical as I’ve ever seen two prospects“.
It may seem like insanely high praise, but Heidenreich was an almost unique player in college. Only Randall Cobb and Tavon Austin accomplished what he did this past season in terms of rushing and receiving production.
Cobb had a more successful career than Austin, but both stuck around in the NFL for nine seasons or more. That bodes well for Heidenreich, especially since he’s now attached to Mike McCarthy, who was actually Cobb’s head coach on the Green Bay Packers from 2011 to 2018.
Heidenreich will have competition for snaps at running back, as Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle will lead the way in the backfield. Kaleb Johnson was a third round pick last year, but barely played as a rookie. Heidenreich could carve out a role as a pass-catching weapon to begin his NFL career.
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