They say clothes make the man. For Eli Heidenreich, he’ll make the number.
Switching from his college No. 22 to No. 29 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heidenreich didn’t pick his digits. Nor did he care to.
“They gave it to me,” he told reporters during Saturday’s rookie minicamp via the team’s YouTube channel. “I think it’s a great number. Pretty much every number throughout, except for 44, that was my first number. But I was 8 in high school, 22 in college. Both just given to me randomly.
“I’ve always been big on just take the number, make it yours.”
Heidenreich’s worn every number well so far in his football career. A star at Mt. Lebanon High School where he led the school to a state title. In college where he set Navy receiving records and exited as just one of two players to post 1,000 yards on the ground and through the air. His production and profile have garnered loose comparisons to Christian McCaffrey, though those are clearly lofty expectations.
His path to playing time in Pittsburgh won’t be immediate. The more versatility he can show, the better odds Heidenreich has of making the 53-man roster. Runner, receiver, blocker, and special teamer all need to be in his repertoire to stick.
Wearing No. 29 is an offensive number for his position. Far better than the No. 42 Kaden Wetjen was stuck with, who vowed to change digits later this year once the roster is reduced. Heidenreich’s rightful focus is to stay healthy, impress during the spring, and carry that over into the summer. Once the roster is reduced to 53, Heidenreich has the option to change jerseys. His comments, however, makes that seem unlikely.
No matter what the jersey says, the goal is to have one for as long as possible. Heidenreich’s showing a good mentality to begin his NFL career and will return to the field May 18 with the rest of the roster for the start of OTAs.
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