One of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most criticized draft picks was selecting Iowa returner/WR Kaden Wetjen in the fourth round. Wetjen only caught 23 passes in his college career, with 20 of them coming as a senior, but he made his mark as a return specialist.
Wetjen returned two kicks and four punts for touchdowns during his college career and led the FBS in punt return average in 2025. He also led the Big Ten in kick return average in 2024 and 2025. I genuinely believe there’s a path for Wetjen to be Pittsburgh’s most productive rookie, given his return ability.
Ideally, Wetjen isn’t going to be the team’s most productive rookie. The hope is that Max Iheanachor can start on Day 1 and that Germie Bernard emerges in the slot. Gennings Dunker could have a chance to start at guard, too.
But the Steelers do have returners on the roster who could make things more difficult for their earlier selections. Even if Broderick Jones can’t go Week 1, the Steelers could opt to start Troy Fautanu and Dylan Cook at tackle. Cook was solid in his starting stint at the end of last season, and if he looks steady in training camp, it may be tough to bench him.
Roman Wilson hasn’t been productive at this point in his career, but if he doesn’t put it together this season, his time in Pittsburgh could come to an end. If Wilson has a strong camp, that could limit opportunities for Bernard, while Brock Hoffman and Spencer Anderson will compete with Dunker for the starting left guard job.
Daylen Everette, the other player taken ahead of Wetjen aside from Drew Allar, will likely begin his career as a backup outside cornerback behind Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean and potentially Asante Samuel Jr. Allar will be a backup as a rookie as he develops.
There’s no one blocking Wetjen in the return game. And if he can be even close to as productive in the NFL as he was in college, Wetjen’s impact could be massive. The Steelers haven’t had a dynamic return man in years, and with the NFL’s new kickoff rules, Wetjen could be a real weapon for the Steelers to help them win the all-important field position battle.
I’m also confident that, if needed, Wetjen could contribute as a receiver after he was the best receiver at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Iowa’s run-heavy offense limited his opportunities, though I’m not really expecting Wetjen to do much as a receiver this year.
In an ideal scenario, Iheanachor and Bernard are Day 1 starters who make a positive impact on the Steelers’ offense. I don’t think that’s unlikely, either. But given the competition involved across the board, Wetjen has the clearest path to produce and positively contribute to the return game.