Steelers Had Competition for Rookie Eli Heidenreich

The Pittsburgh Steelers delivered a dream come true moment for seventh-round draft pick Eli Heidenreich. Not only did the Navy running back achieve his goal of reaching the NFL, but the Mt. Lebanon High School graduate gets the chance to pursue his dreams further in his hometown.

If the Steelers hadn't selected Heidenreich with the 230th overall pick, however, another franchise was ready to pounce on the talented dual-role offensive player.

In a recent appearance on Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz's podcast, Heidenreich revealed that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to sign him as an undrafted free agent, which would have given him the chance to work with former Pittsburgh special teams coach Danny Smith and running back Kenneth Gainwell.

"My agent was talking to Tampa Bay, and I agreed that I would sign with them in preferred free agency," he shared. "So, I was kind of set there and now I was sitting and all of a sudden, I got that phone call, and I pick up and it was Omar (Khan)."

Heidenreich Hoping for Big Role as Rookie

Even as a seventh-round pick, Heidenreich is hoping he can quickly make a name for himself. The Steelers are setting him up with opportunities on both the offensive side of the ball and on special teams.

Special teams is a surefire way to carve out a role and earn the coaching staff's trust. Especially as a first-year player, he'll need to take the traits that made him so important to the Navy offense and bring those to the kick and punt teams. His speed and agility will make him quite the asset for the kickoff and kick return units, and it would set him up for an even larger role as the season goes on.