Steelers pick Eli Heidenreich at 230

The Steelers used the 230th pick Saturday on Navy running back-receiver Eli Heidenreich, a Pittsburgh native who heard his name called at the draft in his hometown. (steelers.com) (wtae.com) Heidenreich was selected in the seventh round of the 2026 National Football League Draft and walked on stage with Commissioner Roger Goodell after waiting backstage for the announcement. (steelers.com) (nfl.com) The 6-foot, 198-pound Navy product played 38 college games and finished with 109 receptions for 1,994 yards and 16 touchdowns, plus 169 carries for 1,157 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. (steelers.com) (nfl.com) His 2025 season supplied the clearest reason Pittsburgh took a late-round swing: 51 catches, 941 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, all while adding 499 rushing yards and three rushing scores. (espn.com) (nfl.com) National Football League draft evaluators listed him as a versatile prospect, and his 4.44-second 40-yard dash at the 2026 scouting combine gave Pittsburgh a measurable speed marker to pair with the production. (nfl.com 1) (nfl.com 2) Navy used Heidenreich as more than a conventional tailback. National Football League and local coverage both described him as a running back-receiver hybrid, and Pittsburgh immediately echoed that by calling him a running back-receiver in its draft announcement. (steelers.com) (usatoday.com) The hometown angle was central to the moment. Heidenreich told the Steelers he grew up a Steelers fan, and General Manager Omar Khan said the ending to the team’s draft was “tremendous” after watching the local prospect reach the stage. (steelers.com) The pick also closed a 10-player Steelers class after a weekend in which Pittsburgh added Arizona State lineman Max Iheanachor in Round 1, Alabama receiver Germie Bernard in Round 2 and Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in Round 3. (cbsnews.com) CBS Pittsburgh reported the Steelers enter 2026 under new head coach Mike McCarthy after seven straight playoff losses, which frames late picks like Heidenreich as part of a broader roster reset rather than a one-off hometown gesture. (cbsnews.com) For Pittsburgh, the final pick was a local player with receiving production, backfield experience and combine speed. For Heidenreich, it was the team he said he had followed since childhood. (steelers.com)