Pittsburgh Steelers ' seventh-round selection Eli Heidenreich reunited with Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the green room at the NFL Draft. Porter, who went to North Allegheny, played 7 on 7 football with Heidenreich in high school.
"We played 7 on 7 back in the day. Eli Heidenreich," Porter told his dad Joey Porter Sr. while introducing him to Heidenreich, via Prospect Media.
Joey Porter Sr. said, "Man, this story just keeps on getting better and better."
Heidenrich had a storybook-like moment on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. Heidenreich, who went to Mt. Lebanon, walked out wearing his Navy Service Uniform and Terrible Towel in hand at the NFL Draft Theater in front of a roaring crowd after the Steelers picked him.
Like most kids from Pittsburgh, Heinendrich grew up a Steelers fan. From zero star recruit to Pittsburgh Steeler. He'll now get the chance to play for his hometown team.
"I turned that corner, you see the city skyline in the background and then the crowd is 90% Steelers fans…. "Everything just came together. I was pretty overwhelmed with emotions," Heidenreich told reporters shortly after being drafted.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan admitted that it was an emotional moment seeing Heidenreich walk across the stage in his hometown as a Steeler.
"You can't help but get emotional when you see that at the end," Khan said during his post-draft press conference.
Heidenreich was a second-team All-American Athletic Conference wideout last season, leading the Midshipmen with 51 receptions. He also set a single-season program record with 941 receiving yards, while tying its mark with six touchdown grabs. He also rushed for 499 yards and three scores on 77 gives.
"Versatile and productive, Heidenreich possesses good size and toughness," NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrot e in a scouting report. "Most of his run production came on jet sweeps from Navy's option attack. … He was a strong tester, displaying the ability to take on a bigger chunk of route-running than he saw in college. He's short-limbed with a limited catch radius, but he hangs on tight when it hits his hands.
"Teams will like the mentality and his special-teams potential."
Heidenreich tops Navy's all-time leaderboards for receiving yards (1,994) and receiving touchdowns (16).
As a senior at Mt. Lebanon, Heidenreich helped lead his team to the 2021 PIAA Class 6A title, scoring 29 touchdowns and posting 1,330 receiving yards.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Eli Heidenreich Has Full Circle Moment with Star Steelers Player
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