Welcome to the Steelers Eli Heidenreich

They just needed to have Debra Winger there so he could have carried her out on the stage. Well maybe Debra Winger's granddaughter since Debra is 70 now.

 

How many of us are left on this planet that would get that reference?

 

The Pats did it for many years. MM seems to enjoy it, and it’s a great “problem” to have. It should be really fun to see how all this pans out.

 

I'm sure most on here are wondering what the heck I was talking about.

 

Not the Kaleb Johnson replacement everyone believes him to be.


Eli Heidenreich is a lot more than just a "feel good" story contrary to popular belief. Eli is a rock solid depth piece; through and through. Great overall agility and very good overall explosiveness, Eli can fill a lot of roles on Offense. Running Back, Slot WR or even Outside WR in a pinch, Eli can do just about any Offensive Role. Special Teams is another major area of contribution; Kick or Punt Team also being irrelevant as both are well within his wheelhouse. The question though stems from can he learn multiple tools from multiple toolboxes?! Among the positions that he would be best served to go, Running Back would be the preferred destination. That way, he can work on his Receiving abilities while he is there.


Should he opt to go Wide Receiver, his Route Tree will need a dire overhaul. Only routes that I see from him are slants, screen's, quick outs and posts. As a Running Back, this isn't going to be much of a problem. As a Wideout though?! Completely different story.


Overall, the biggest issue actually stems from his lack of elusiveness in the open field despite the great agility and flexibility. I suspect this may be more of a balance based issue but given his showcasing of both core and lower body strength on film, I do believe that this can be worked on. Most people see Christian McCaffrey but people tend to forget how special his contact balance, elusiveness, ball carrier vision and superior tools at the Receiver position were when he came out of Stanford; a Program featuring a lot more than the Wing T Offense. For me, a much better comparison would be Danny Woodhead but better athletically.


There definitely is a path for Eli to not just earn his keep on the Final 53 but also earn a spot as a reliable third down option Running Back provided he can pick up on a more advanced Offense than the one he was running. He does have the baseline traits you look for in a Swiss Army type player and possesses the toughness and desire to do so. As a seventh round pick; you either have grit and determination but limited potential or unimaginable upside with tremendous physical attributes but very raw and very inexperienced overall. Eli does not have the upside but he does possess good enough tools to go with desire and grit...


... for a Seventh Round Pick... that difference matters.


I give this pick an A.

 

Pittsburgh currently does not have a reliable third down receiving option on the Roster.


Some say Travis Homer but Eli gives you that + being more young to work with. Eli still needs to quickly grasp an NFL Offense for it is worlds apart from the Wing T Offense he played at Navy but beyond that, he is largely set. The lack of elusiveness can be worked on with more time in the league.

 

After that walk out, the city of Pittsburgh will not let MM cut this kid

 

I have no problems if this happens. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6ngFa-z2RYA

 

Well done, especially the explanation of what McCaffrey has that Heidenreich does not. I like the pick and I think he can be a very useful piece, but I don't see him as a full-time running back.

 

I'm probably in the minority here, but I thought we should have signed Gainwell to a 2-3 year deal. He was one of the few players on the entire team that showed up every week in '25.

 

Do you mean they don't have a reliable third-down back? I'm not sure why anybody thinks Homer is going to fill that role given how little he has contributed on offense, especially the last two years. He is a special teamer.

That said, they have an excellent third-down back. That is where Warren excels. I think we could see Warren taking on Gainwell's role from last season while also sharing early-down carries with Dowdle.

 

I like both picks. Wetjen a lot of teams had circled on their boards I am sure because he's got some rare return skills. So I don't think they took him too high. Heidenreich I think is just extremely good value for where they took him. He's not going to give us returns of the quality Wetjen offers. But he can be a change of pace back on your depth chart who lines up anywhere in your formation and he'll worry whoever draws him.

 

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Wetjen did very little on offense in college. Both can be changes of pace, but again, how many touches can they give two guys like that when there are so many other offensive weapons?

 

I like this pick. Solid potential as he has the size, strength, and stubbornness to be that bothersome receiver underneath whilst they’re trying to deal with other receivers deeper down field. Hope they use him right.

 

For whatever the reason, MM likes these kind of guys. Ty Montgomery, Randall Cobb. There were a couple of others as well....I can not remember right now. Now Swiffer WetJet and this guy from Navy. The Steelers didn't have one on the roster. They now have a couple.

Many Steelers fans wanted to see the MM offense installed. This is part of that process.

 

That is why Heidenreich seems like such a good pick, but I am not so sure about Wetjen making a big impact on offense. He didn't do much offensively at Iowa. He caught 20 passes and ran the ball 15 times in 2025. Not exactly the stuff of legends.

 

Yeah. No idea. Couldn't tell you a blessed thing about what kind of pro either one is projecting to turn out as.

All I can say is that MM has a track record of wanting a guy like these two in his offense. Not shocking that they Steelers took a dice roll on a few in this draft cycle.

 

I don't think the minority... there was plenty of support to re-sign him. However, we went in a different direction because we felt Dowdle fit the new system better than Gainwell. I guess all we can do is find out. They took a swipe at Heidenreich in the draft and brought in Homer as "skillset replacements" for him as receiving backs. Lets see how it turns out.

 

Homer is a special teamer who has nine total touches in the last three seasons combined, none last year. I'm not sure he even makes the team after what they did in the draft.

I think much of Gainwell's third-down work will go to Warren. He excelled as a receiver, runner, and blocker on third down before last year and should continue to do the same. Dowdle was an upgrade. Look at the production. He has been a better back than either Warren or Gainwell.

Heidenreich could be their third back with Johnson not getting a helmet on game days, but I think he is going to get most of his work as a slot receiver.

 

Yes I think Wetjen's contributions will mainly be teams. But I imagine they may manufacture a few touches a game for him, on things like jet sweeps, screens, etc., and the elusiveness in space you see on returns should make it worth the attempt.

Heidenreich I think does a bit more for the offense. He can also threaten on jet sweeps and screens, but he's six foot and over 200. This isn't a small kid, and he's athletic enough to roast LBs and Safeties on wheels and seams. He also has the speed to bust big gainers from the backfield as a change of pace or third down back.

It's nice to see a late rounder of his quality.

 

The big challenge for Heidenreich is going to be adapting to a more traditional offense with a more extensive route tree, so it may take time before he is able to contribute much on offense. He should be able to help on special teams.