One of the most heart-warming moments of the 2026 NFL Draft was when the Pittsburgh Steelers called Navy RB/WR Eli Heidenreich’s name in the seventh round. It was a great moment. The Pittsburgh native is coming home to play for his childhood team after playing for one of the United States’ service academies.
Make no mistake, though. Heidenreich can play football, as our very own Josh Carney saw from the tape. So, who is Eli Heidenreich? Here are five things to know about the new Steelers’ all-purpose weapon.
The Navy Is A Family Tradition
Eli Heidenreich isn’t the first member of the Heidenreichs to put on a U.S. Navy uniform. That tradition began with his grandfather, then with one of his uncles.
“My grandfather was a Lt. Commander in a Navy reconnaissance attack squadron called the Sea Dragons, and my uncle served in the First Battalion 8th Marines,” Heidenreich said in a feature story with The Low Redzone. “And so I heard a lot of stories about what they’d done. After that camp is when I really started looking into the idea of going into service and all that comes with it. I think that’s when the realization of being part of something bigger than myself and giving up something for my country hit me. Being able to be that next generation…..the idea of that grew pretty important to me and my family.”
During Heidenreich’s Navy career, he had the opportunity to wear the unit patches representing both his grandfather Chris’ and his uncle Chip’s units. While his uncle Chip served with the Marines, he was a Navy corpsman attached to the First Battalion, 8th Marines.
Navy Scholarship Hinged On One Decision
In that story, Heidenreich made reference to “that camp.” He was talking about a Navy camp that he attended during high school. According to Navy associate head coach/special teams/wide receivers coach Mick Yokitis, choosing to go to that camp is exactly why Heidenreich became a Midshipman.
“It’s funny, talking to Coach Kokitis, he’s the one that recruited me,” Heidenreich said in an interview with the Navy Athletics YouTube channel after the draft. “Thinking back, I went and took a shot at a camp down there. He invited me to go down to camp when I was getting recruited by them. He said the only reason they ended up offering me was because I went down there and had a good camp and impressed the coaching staff.”
Feels A Responsibility To Represent Navy Football At The NFL Level
Attending a service academy, such as the U.S. Naval Academy, is a different experience from that of the vast majority of colleges. Not only do Midshipmen like Heidenreich practice and play football, but they have to meet the academy’s academic requirements, plus train to be members of the Navy.
There is a lot of responsibility as a Midshipman or as a football player at any of the service academies. So, when Eli Heidenreich steps onto the field as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’ll also be representing a lot of military personnel. However, he doesn’t feel it as a burden. It’s something to be celebrated.
“You’re representing so much at that level,” Heidenreich said in an interview with the Navy Athletics YouTube channel after his Pro Day. “You have a lot of eyes on you. For me, I’m just thankful that I’m going to be able to go out and represent the United States Naval Academy, the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps, to our standard and show the NFL world what we’re all about here.”
Had To Make A Choice Between Sports
While one of Eli Heidenreich’s uncles served as a Navy corpsman, another of his uncles paved the way in athletics. Mark Heidenreich played hockey, including in Pittsburgh with the Jr. Penguins and up in Canada. Eli picked up a stick at a young age and took after his uncle. However, it became obvious that the Heidenreichs, and Eli in particular, would have to make a decision about which sport he would pursue.
“I remember him asking me, and it was after a hockey practice,” Heidenreich said about his father in that Low Redzone story. “He basically said, ‘Hey, there’s two ways you can do this. You can keep playing hockey, or you can start playing football’. And it was tough. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew I couldn’t walk away from football. I mean, I grew up loving the Steelers, and I always wanted to play in the NFL, so I made a decision to go with ball. Of course, at that time I had no idea where it would take me, and sometimes I wonder where I’d be now if I’d have chosen to keep playing hockey.”
Well, it seems like Heidenreich made the right decision now that the Steelers drafted him.
A Love Of Skiing
Eli Heidenreich may have had to decide whether to pursue hockey or football. However, another winter sport captured his interest. According to his father, David, it even helps him on the field.
“Eli grew up snow ski racing,” David Heidenreich said in an interview with NavySports.com. “The jump cuts that he practiced on the slalom course really helped his vision and translated on the football field.”
Even though Heidenreich is pursuing football full-time, he still loves skiing. When he sat down with NavySports.com for Meet The Mid in 2024, skiing showed up.
When asked what his dream vacation would be, it was “Skiing in the Swiss Alps.”
You have to admit, that’s a pretty picturesque vacation. If you like heights and snow, that is.
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