Riley Nowakowski knows the perception that the Steelers drafted him to replace Connor Heyward, but can he be more? Both later Day-Three picks four years removed, they have some similarities, to be sure. But there’s also plenty that separates Nowakowski from Heyward, who is now with the Raiders. And beat writer Mike DeFabo wants to see how he highlights that this summer.
“My question Riley Nowakowski is, how much more than a fullback is he?”, he asked on The Yinziders podcast. “He’s one of those guys that’s legitimately versatile, where he could line up as a fullback, but he could also line up and play on the wing, he could play a traditional in-line tight end, he could be detached from the line up scrimmage a little bit. You can move him around a lot”.
“I’m looking forward to him getting rid of these Connor Heyward comps”, he continued, “because I think Connor Heyward was limited as a player and as an athlete in a lot of ways, and I think that Riley Nowakowski is superior in so many different ways that he’s going to be a more functional and useful piece”.
A fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Riley Nowakowski comes in listed as a fullback. The Steelers always listed Connor Heyward as both a fullback and tight end, but he spent more time in the tight end room. When they drafted Nowakowski, they brought out RB coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. to discuss the selection.
Mike McCarthy has a history of using a fullback, but Nowakowski will do more than that. He’ll also line up as a tight end at times, and perhaps even aligned as a receiver. He’s not without some athletic ability and receiving skill, nor was Heyward. But Heyward’s role as an offensive weapon pivoted hard under Arthur Smith. In his first two seasons, he saw many more targets.
He did claim the role of “Spartan” quarterback last year, the Steelers’ version of the Tush Push. We have no idea if McCarthy has any interest in continuing that. But Riley Nowakowski has already expressed a willingness to take over that role Heyward leaves behind.
With Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington in the tight end room and Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle in the running back room—and DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and Germie Bernard in the wide receiver room—it’s not likely that Riley Nowakowski is going to see a ton of action.
That will depend on how serious Mike McCarthy is about using a fullback, though. While Nowakowski can do many things, the thing he will likely be able to do better than anybody else on the roster is block from the backfield. He’s not one of their best receivers, or their best pass-catchers, or their back in-line blockers, or ball carriers. They have other guys for those jobs, which is perhaps why they announced him as a fullback.
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