Along with the nine other draft picks, plus plenty of undrafted free agents and tryout bodies, Eli Heidenreich took the field in a Steelers jersey for the first time this weekend. Although it was just two days of rookie minicamp, Heidenreich’s impressed his new head coach so far.
“Yeah, he’s picked it up, bright. Obviously, he has an excellent skill set, and you can see the quickness that just jumps off the field at you. Yeah, he seemed very comfortable out there,” Mike McCarthy said Saturday via Steelers.com.
It might have felt like a dream come true once Heidenreich received the call from the Steelers towards the end of the seventh round. Expecting to potentially go undrafted, he was in contact with other teams about signing as an undrafted free agent before getting the call from Pittsburgh, who planned on that moment all along. The Pittsburgh native, who grew up a Steelers fan, got to walk out of the green room, shake the commissioner’s hand, and turn to see thousands of Terrible Towels waving in the crowd.
But now, the real work begins. And it’s good that Heidenreich impressed his head coach, as it will be an uphill battle for him to make the roster. He’s no doubt an impressive prospect, one some compared to Kenneth Gainwell immediately after the draft. He made an impact both running at catching the ball at Navy, and could hold a Swiss army knife type of role in the NFL.
But he’s going to have to beat out some players to get there. At receiver, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek all have their arguments to be roster locks. At running back, Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle and Kaleb Johnson can all make the same argument. And Heidenreich’s own draft classmate, Kaden Wetjen, will make the roster as a kick returner while potentially doing all the same things offensively.
But, with a good showing the rest of this offseason, Eli Heidenreich can make his case. Of course, it’s still very early. But it’s a case he may be making already, in the eyes of his head coach.
Recommended for you