How Navy's Eli Heidenreich is perfect NFL Draft pick for Pittsburgh Steelers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Pittsburgh Steelers and Eli Heidenreich are the perfect match.As the NFL Draft approaches, it's not the kind of thing many people would be talking about. Heidenreich isn't a flashy first-round prospect, and there's a lot less speculation pre-draft about the later rounds.But the superstar from the Naval Academy is exactly the player the Steelers should target in the middle rounds.For one, he was a state champion at Mt.

Lebanon High School locally.Navy RB Eli Heidenreich, who helped lead Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh to a state championship, was invited by the NFL to attend Day 2 and 3 of next week’s draft. pic.twitter.com/tjh4lv6vqA— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 17, 2026MORE: The $4 million difference keeping Trinidad Chambliss at Ole MissIt's much more than that, too.Navy's offense is obviously not an NFL-style operation, but in Heidenreich's case, that may simply increase his versatility.He ran 77 times for 499 yards (6.5 yards per carry) in 2025 and also set Navy records by catching 51 passes for 941 yards.

He scored nine offensive touchdowns.His physical traits match the production, too.MORE: How the NFL Draft impacts Eagles-Patriots A.J. Brown trade rumorsEli Heidenreich NFL Combine statsHeidenreich measured 6-feet tall, 198 pounds at the Combine. That could work in a backfield or as a receiver.He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds.His vertical jump was 35.5 inches, and his broad jump was exactly 10 feet.The Navy grad did 16 reps of the bench press.This is a legitimate athlete, and the Steelers and any other team would be wise to consider him both for his positive locker room presence as well as the variety of ways he could contribute on the field.More NFL news:Patriots subtly insult Rob GronkowskiThere's a key twist to Kyler Murray's Vikings contractTravis Kelce's new Chiefs contract has a simple retirement planReplacement refs could impact Aaron Rodgers' retirement decisionBrowns may have officially won the Travis Hunter trade