When the Steelers drafted Eli Heidenreich, did they have a clear idea of how he makes the roster? Especially having already drafted Kaden Wetjen? That’s one of the questions on the mind of Mike DeFabo, who covers the team for The Athletic. While they drafted Wetjen for his return abilities, he fits a similar niche.
And the thing is, Wetjen is pretty close to a roster lock as their presumptive kick and punt returner. If Wetjen is already on the roster, do they also have a place for Heidenreich? Are their athletic similarities too aligned and too niche for the Steelers to justify both?
“There’s a bit of an overlap in skill set between he and Kaden Wetjen, the fourth-round pick who’s the punt returner, kick returner, gadget guy, wide receiver who can also line up in the backfield”, DeFabo pointed out on The Yinziders podcast, speaking about Eli Heidenreich.
“A lot of those same things overlap with what Eli Heidenreich also does well. Is there room on the roster for two guys who have a similar role?”, he continued. That depends, of course, on how they feel about certain other players. Including some recent mid-round draft picks, like RB Kaleb Johnson and WR Roman Wilson. While it’s not necessary that one or both miss the cut for the others to make it, it could simplify things.
The Steelers used their second of two seventh-round picks on Eli Heidenreich, the local product and Navy midshipman who has an intriguing athletic profile but a college tape that is difficult to translate to the NFL. And with the running back and wide receiver rooms filling up, it’s not obvious that there is room for him. Unless, that is, they plan to make room for him, and use him in a way that justifies his place.
“It will be interesting to see exactly how versatile they think he is and how much they can open up the play book for him”, DeFabo said of Heidenreich. “He’s an intriguing guy, and I think that with the right offense and a coordinator that would be willing to adapt their philosophy to fit his unique skill set, he would have a place in the NFL”.
The Steelers have DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson, Germie Bernard, and Ben Skowronek at wide receiver. They have Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Kaleb Johnson, and Travis Homer at running back. That doesn’t include Riley Nowakowski, listed as a fullback. Throw Kaden Wetjen and Eli Heidenreich into the mix and you have a full completement of skill players. Including, of course, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at tight end.
Generally, the Steelers keep three quarterbacks and nine offensive linemen. If you keep 25 offensive players in total, that leaves 13 spots for the skill positions. Three running backs and three tight ends are typical, often with an extra at one or the other. Seven in total, including Nowakowski, is reasonable. Wetjen, due to special teams, however, feels like a virtual lock.
Eli Heidenreich is most likely competing with the likes of Johnson and Homer, unless the Steelers keep 26 offensive players. Which is certainly possible—but so is 24, in theory. It all depends on how the numbers sort out, and realistically, they have enough defenders for 26 there, too.
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