Kaden Wetjen found out he was drafted by the Steelers while playing golf with his girlfriend
Imagine you’re in the middle of a round of golf, holding hands, just trying to keep your score decent… and your phone rings and it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers telling you they’re texting you.
That was true for former Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wetjen this weekend.
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Kaden Wetjen of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Feb. 28, 2026. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Wetjen was out at Stone Creek Golf Club near the Iowa campus, playing a recreational round with his girlfriend, Rachel Bierman, and friends when the moment struck. According to a video Bierman posted, he was on the eighth hole when Pittsburgh called to say they were taking him with the 121st overall pick in the fourth round.
It’s not exactly your typical party setup.
Bierman captured the moment Wetjen stood by the green, casually holding the tight end while taking a phone call — a scene that somehow made NFL recruiting feel like just another Saturday afternoon.
“Hole 8, Round 4, Pick 121 – a moment we will remember forever,” he wrote.
Since then, the team stopped the circuit and pulled the live stream to watch the official candidate.
“I didn’t dip it in the pool after I was selected so everything is fine,” Wetjen said.
The moment on the golf course is sweet, but Wetjen’s approach to that call is also endearing.
He started his career at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to Iowa in 2022.
While his receiving numbers didn’t jump off the page — he totaled 23 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown in his FBS career — he made his mark on special teams.
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In 2024, he led the nation with 727 punt return yards and took both a kickoff and a punt return for touchdowns.
Then in his last season he doubled. Wetjen led the nation in punt return yards (563), averaged 26.8 yards per return and had three punt return scores. By the time he left Iowa, Wetjen had accumulated 1,538 kick return yards and 954 punt return yards, with six total touchdowns.
Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wtjen rushes a punt return for a touchdown in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
“He plays the game fearlessly, but he plays it smart,” Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said, per the Steelers’ website. “He’s our best doubles player, and in this early new year of the National Football League, to have a guy who thinks he’s the best at both, we think it’s going to be a big addition and it’s going to pay off for the club.”
Kaden Wetjen of the Iowa Hawkeyes returns a kick against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Md., on Nov. 23, 2024. (G Fiume/Getty Images)
And in case you were wondering, Wetjen didn’t finish that round of golf.
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“No, we’re going back to the party now!” he told reporters on the phone.
Hard to blame the guy there.
