Oregon State Alum Isaiah Hodgins, Veteran WR, Signs with Steelers

Today, Oregon State alum and five year NFL pro Isaiah Hodgins earned a second chance.

Weeks removed from a release by the San Francisco 49ers - the longest stretch of Hodgins' professional career without a team - multiple outlets reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers signed the veteran wideout to a contract.

Born in San Jose and raised in the Bay Area, Hodgins became a four-star prospect catching passes at Berean Christian High School in Walnut Creek, an East Bay suburb. Hodgins picked Oregon State over other offers from Oregon, Nebraska, and Washington State, among others.

In Corvallis, the promising young wideout made an immediate impact: in his true freshman 2017 season, Hodgins secured 31 catches for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns. The following year, he caught 59 balls for 876 yards and a whopping 5 touchdowns. In 2019, Hodgins lifted his game to even greater heights: 86 catches, over a thousand receiving yards, and a staggering thirteen touchdowns.

Hodgins began his pro career as a Buffalo Bills 6th round pick (207th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2021 and 2022, the Bills waived Hodgins before the regular season began, only to keep him on their practice squad. On November 1st 2022, they waived him a third time, but the New York Giants claimed him off the wire. The highlight of Hodgins' NFL career is arguably his lone playoff game: in the 2022 Wild Card, Hodgins caught 8 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. In 31 career games, Hodgins has 60 catches for 634 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Hodgins spent the past offseason with the 49ers, but missed the team's final cut. In Pittsburgh, he'll join a wide receiver room that includes former Seahawks star DK Metcalf, return specialist Calvin Austin III, 2024 3rd round pick Roman Wilson, and Super Bowl LVI champion Ben Skowronek.