Eli Heidenreich wasn’t sure at all that the Steelers would draft him. In fact, he wasn’t even sure at what position they scouted him. And that showed in the pre-draft process, he said recently, Pittsburgh’s scouting differing from how most teams viewed him. While he’s technically in the running back room now, the Steelers list him as “RB/WR”.
“Each team had a different vision for me in the pre-draft process,” Heidenreich said on the Ross Tucker podcast. “I interviewed with some running back coaches; I interviewed with some wide receiving coaches. It really just depended on the team. But the Steelers were one of the teams that had both the running back and receiver coach present in the interview, so I wasn’t sure with them”.
Heidenreich has said that running back is his natural position and is what he grew up playing. Especially in Navy’s offense, however, it naturally allowed, even forced, him to hone his receiving skills. It’s no surprise that some teams scouted him straight out as a wide receiver. His final season, he recorded 941 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging 18.5 yards on 51 catches.
“Definitely a no-position player”, Steelers HC Mike McCarthy said of Eli Heidenreich right after drafting him. “He can play from the slot, he can play from the backfield, you see him out displaced. When you put a young man in the receiver room, he has to play all three positions”.
It’s unclear if or how much time Heidenreich might spend in the actual wide receiver room. But the Steelers have had multi-position guys before, perhaps most notably Dri Archer. Also listed as RB/WR, his career didn’t exactly pan out as planned, so that’s not the most desirable comparison. One might argue that Heidenreich is an even more natural receiver, though.
“After a few days they told me who I’d be with, and I figured out pretty quickly that I’d be in the running back room”, Heidenreich said. “That’s what they view me as right now. I’m just chomping at the bit a little bit to get to Latrobe and start training camp and start playing some real football”.
With Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Kaleb Johnson, and Travis Homer among others also in the running back room, it’s not immediately obvious that there will be a roster spot available for Eli Heidenreich come September. Many are penciling him in for the practice squad, which is certainly possible, assuming he clears waivers.
That the Steelers seemed to scout Heidenreich as both a running back and a wide receiver, though, tells me that they see a clear niche for him. That doesn’t mean they’re going to hold a roster spot open for him. It does mean they have a vision for him, and that means he’ll have an opportunity to prove them right.