Steelers' Connor Heyward Replacement Will Be Even Better

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers added a recent national champion when they selected tight end and fullback Riley Nowakowski during the 2026 NFL Draft. A member of the Indiana Hoosiers NCAA title team last year, Nowakowski brings a ton of valuable experience and an interesting skillset to the recently made over Steelers offense.

But when Batman himself (Michael Keaton) announces you as the Steelers' draft pick, it comes with some raised expectations. One of those expectations is that he will make the roster as a fifth-round draft pick, but can he secure his spot?

It’s not that simple for the recent draft pick. He has to surpass veteran addition Robert Tonyan, a former favorite target of Aaron Rodgers, second-year tight end JJ Galbreath and talented undrafted free agent Lake McRae to secure his spot as the third tight end. But if he does, he offers the team a direct replacement for the versatile tight end and special teams player who departed in free agency, Connor Heyward.

Fullback and Tight End in One

Nowakowski has to become a versatile option to earn a roster spot in Pittsburgh, just like Heyward was able to over the past few seasons. Luckily for the 24-year-old rookie, he has a few qualities that may lend themselves to Nowakowski becoming a fullback and tight end all rolled into one at the NFL level.

The first thing going for him is his physical makeup. At 6'2" and 250 pounds, he has the size and strength to be both a tight end on the line of scrimmage and to be a lead blocker out of the backfield.

He's not just a big body, however. Nowakowski showed off some explosive athleticism at the NFL Draft Combine, posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.66 seconds and a vertical leap of 33.5 inches.

With that combination of size and surprising speed, the Steelers can utilize Nowakowski as both a receiver and a blocking threat and hopefully carve out a role as an H-back.