Steelers pick Navy RB Eli Heidenreich, Pittsburgh NFL Draft fans go absolutely crazy

Perhaps the most important moment of the 2026 NFL Draft came in the final round, when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected running back Eli Heidenreich and the selection was announced to the home crowd gathered for the event.

The excitement, felt from the moment Heidenreich was shown on camera, wasn’t that he was a successful college running back. And it wasn’t because of his athleticism that scouts compared him to San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey — bigger and stronger.

The crowd went nuts because Heidenreich played for the United States Naval Academy.

And as he waited three days in the green room behind the NFL’s stage, Heidenreich emerged wearing his Full Dress Blue uniform that was normally worn for official events.

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Heidenreich put on a Steelers cap and saluted. Soon after, he hugged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and took official photos with a Steelers hat.

The crowd erupted.

“That excitement for Eli,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said, “I mean, I didn’t expect to see that on TV and you can’t help but feel bad when you see that at the end. But it’s really, really, really amazing…”

The NFL, being a social media organization, decided to milk the time for all it deserved. League officials gave Heidenreich a chance to break through the crowd and entertain the adoring fans.

They then brought Heidenreich onto the ESPN set for an interview.

That’s right: the 230th overall pick – the usual pick in the last round – was considered royal, perhaps because fans understood that the United States and its Navy and other military forces were conducting operations in the Middle East.

Oh, yeah, did we mention Heidenreich is from Pittsburgh?

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This script continues to improve with every rewrite.

Heidenreich is scheduled to graduate from the Naval Academy in May. If the NFL didn’t work out, he planned to begin his five-year commitment to serve as an officer in the Marine Corps.

But Heidenreich understood that commitment would have to wait when, early in the seventh round, he received calls from teams looking to sign him as an undrafted free agent.

“I’m really committed to the team,” Heidenreich said.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans cheer before Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Then the Steels called and told him about their plans to pick him up.

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So he will begin a 10-year service contract with the Marine Corps that will allow him to delay his service while pursuing his football career.

“I’m thankful that they gave me this opportunity,” said Heidenreich. “I first offered them five years of service after that, but they gave me the opportunity to go out and pursue this football career first and give my career later. So, I’m grateful for that.

“But to be able to represent them — the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, I mean, just the military as a whole — is an honor and something I don’t take for granted.”

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Navy running back Eli Heidenreich passes Army safety Max DiDomenico for a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Landover, Md., on Dec. 14, 2024. (Daniel Kucin Jr./AP)

Heidenreich comes from good stock. His grandfather, Chris Heidenreich, was a naval officer, and his uncle, Chip Heidenreich, served as a corpsman in the Marines.

And now Eli Heidenreich, among the best that this latest generation of Americans has to offer, carries on the family tradition.

But only after giving a chance to professional football.

“I’m grateful,” Heidenreich said, “that I have the opportunity to be able to go out and do that in the NFL.”

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