The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised a lot of people when they drafted PR/KR/WR Kaden Wetjen in the fourth round. It’s not that people don’t think Wetjen is a good player. It’s just that people questioned whether drafting a player who is primarily a returner in the fourth round is a good return on investment.
One person who didn’t question the Steelers’ selection of Wetjen? Draft analyst Emory Hunt. He was a huge fan of the move at the moment, and his tune hasn’t changed in the couple of weeks since the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, he has big expectations for Wetjen in Pittsburgh.
“Kaden Wetjen, the returner, slot guy from Iowa, instantly starting punt returner, kick returner,” Hunt said Monday on Ross Tucker’s College Draft podcast. “And he’s probably going to be an All-Pro as a rookie in that regard while he develops more so as a receiver.”
Part of why some people were down on the move is that Kaden Wetjen is unproven as a wide receiver. After all, he had more punt returns (21) than receptions (20) in 2025. He also had another 16 kick returns. He returned three of those punts for touchdowns, plus one kick return for a touchdown.
However, there is no doubting how dynamic Wetjen is as a returner. For his career at Iowa, he had 56 kick returns for 1,538 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 54 punt returns for 954 yards and four touchdowns. He generated almost 27.5 yards per kick return and almost 17.7 yards per punt return.
The Steelers had a major need at both punt and kick returner this offseason. Wetjen can step into a starting role immediately, as Hunt said. No doubt new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman is excited about what Wetjen can offer as a returner.
That’s where Kaden Wetjen will make his mark early in his NFL career. Wetjen certainly wants to show he can make an impact on offense, and we saw some of that at the Shrine Bowl.
For now, I don’t think anyone, from Kaden Wetjen to the Steelers coaching staff and front office, would be upset with Wetjen having an All-Pro season as a rookie.
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