Pittsburgh Steelers ' seventh-round pick Eli Heidenreich revealed on Christian Kuntz's podcast that he almost landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers instead of the Steelers this past April.
"My agent was talking to Tampa Bay , and I agreed that I would sign with them in preferred free agency," Heidenreich explained. "So, I was kind of set there and now I was sitting and all of a sudden, I got that phone call, and I pick up and it was Omar (Khan)."
Pittsburgh Steelers running back/wide receiver Eli Heidenreich on May 9, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
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.
ESPN's NFL draft special , The Pick Is In , provided a behind-the-scenes look at Heidenreich's emotional draft day moment in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
"Hello. Hey, Omar. Yes, sir. Let's do it," Heidenreich said to Steelers general manager Omar Khan when he received the call that he will be a Steeler.
"We'll turn this in and make you a Pittsburgh Steeler," Khan told Heidenreich. "Well, congratulations. You're officially a Pittsburgh Steeler."
Heidenrich got off the phone, smiled and looked at his family and simply said, "I'm a Steeler."
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 went over to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex to talk with reporters after becoming a Steeler.
"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 said.
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.
Longtime NFL analyst Greg Cosell expects Heidenreich to be involved in the offense from the get-go. It will not be a redshirt year for the "Swiss Navy Knife."
"I think he's going to play because he can do a lot of things for you. He's big, he's physical. He's a movable chess piece," Cosell said on the Ross Tucker Podcast . "Again, he may play 18 snaps a game, but I think there's going to be a place for him in the context of this offense."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Rookie Eli Heidenreich Shares Wild Draft Day Story
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