Eli Heidenreich won’t have to pack his bags and go anywhere else. The Pittsburgh Steelers plucked the Navy running back/receiver, a Mt. Lebanon High School product, in the seventh round (No. 230 overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday.
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 : Steelers Take Homegrown Tailback/Receiver in Seventh Round
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