There is always a gap between being drafted and actually making an NFL roster, and for Eli Heidenreich that gap is where this story lives. The Pittsburgh Steelers used a seventh-round pick on a 22-year-old whose path to the league now runs through training camp and preseason, with a real chance to turn hometown interest into something more concrete. The safer bet is still the practice squad, but he is one of the names worth watching when the Steelers begin camp.
That is partly because Heidenreich arrives with a profile that is a little more interesting than a typical late-round flyer. Over the past two seasons, he was the focal point of Navy's offense, and that kind of usage matters when a team is trying to sort out depth at the back end of the roster. He is not being asked to be a finished product. He is being asked to show enough versatility to make himself difficult to cut.
The role that best explains his appeal is the Rex Burkhead comparison. Burkhead's NFL career included at least 250 rushing yards five times, a career-best 427 rushing yards in 2021, seven seasons with over 150 receiving yards and three seasons above the 200-yard mark. That is not a star blueprint, but it is a useful one: a player who can run, catch and give a coaching staff options without needing the offense built around him. For a seventh-round pick, that sort of flexibility is often the fastest path to surviving roster cuts.
Why the Steelers will keep watching
Heidenreich also has the advantage of relevance beyond the box score. He is a local player from Mt. Lebanon High School, which gives the story some Pittsburgh weight before a single preseason snap is played. But sentiment will not decide anything here. What will matter is whether he can do enough in camp to show he belongs in the conversation for the 53-man roster rather than being parked on the practice squad and developed for 2026 and beyond.
That is the key point: the possibility is real, but the odds still lean the other way. Late-round picks rarely walk into secure jobs, and the Steelers are unlikely to hand one to Heidenreich without evidence that he can handle more than a narrow role. Still, players who can affect the game as both runners and receivers tend to stay on a coach's radar longer than one-dimensional backups.
So when the Steelers open training camp and preseason, Heidenreich is not just another name in a long list of rookie hopefuls. He is a seventh-round pick with a specific type of utility, a local connection that adds interest, and a roster path that is narrow but not closed. For now, the practice squad looks like the more likely landing spot. But the fact that he is even in the 53-man discussion is enough to make him one of the more intriguing players to monitor.
