Once upon a time, the NFL had an affinity for the fullback position.<\/p>\n
A look at the list of players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who were listed as fullbacks in their playing days includes Jim Brown, Marion Motley, Larry Csonka, and Bronko Nagurski.<\/p>\n
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Astute readers will notice those players have not played the game for a very long time, as the position has fallen out of favor in the modern NFL.<\/p>\n
Cleveland Browns<\/a> head coach Todd Monken likes having a fullback on the roster, however, and the Browns reportedly tried to lure fullback Patrick Ricard<\/a> from the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> in free agency.<\/p>\n If Monken has his way, a week from now, general manager Andrew Berry may be turning in a card with the name of Navy fullback Eli Heidenreich during Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n Name: Eli Heidenreich<\/p>\n Position: Fullback\/Wide receiver<\/p>\n Height\/Weight: 6-foot, 198 pounds<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n College: Navy Midshipmen<\/p>\n 2025 Rushing Stats: 13 games, 499 rushing yards, 6.5 yards per rush, 3 rushing touchdowns, 38.4 rushing yards per game<\/p>\n 2025 Receiving Stats: 13 games, 51 receptions, 941 receiving yards, 18.5 yards per reception, 6 receiving touchdowns, 72.4 receiving yards per game<\/p>\n Career Rushing Stats: 38 games, 1,157 rushing yards, 6.8 yards per rush, 7 rushing touchdowns, 30.4 rushing yards per game<\/p>\n Career Receiving Stats: 38 games, 109 receptions, 1,994 receiving yards, 18.3 yards per reception, 16 receiving touchdowns, 52.5 receiving yards per game<\/p>\n Average \u201cBig Board\u201d Position as of Publishing Date from Mock Draft Database:<\/a> 215th overall, projected sixth round<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n PFF Big Board Ranking:<\/a> 196th overall<\/a><\/p>\n What an Expert is Saying<\/p>\n Lance Zierlein at NFL.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n Versatile and productive, Heidenreich possesses good size and toughness. Most of his run production came on jet sweeps from Navy\u2019s option attack, but he appears to lack the acceleration to outpace NFL pursuit as a wide runner. He was a strong tester, displaying the ability to take on a bigger chunk of route-running than he saw in college. He\u2019s short-limbed with a limited catch radius, but he hangs on tight when it hits his hands. Teams will like the mentality and his special-teams potential, but he might lack the necessary athleticism to uncover on routes or elude tacklers with the ball in his hands.<\/p>\n What an Expert is Saying (Bonus Round):<\/p>\n