Heyward was a H-back at Michigan State and recorded 11 total touchdowns in college. With his 6-foot, 230-pound frame, he transitioned over to fullback after being drafted. In his time with the Steelers, he was utilized in a multitude of ways, doing more than just blocking as he notched five total touchdowns (three receiving, two rushing).

Per Next Gen Stats, Klint Kubiak had two or more running backs on the field for 25.4 percent of total snaps. His use of 20-23 personnel was the seventh-highest in the league with a 42.5 percent success rate.

To strip down the football mumbo jumbo, Kubiak is still a fan of using the traditional fullback in his scheme.

“Once Coach [Kubiak] called me and then talked to the GM [John Spytek], it was like, ‘This is where I need to be,'” Heyward said. “And they talked about how they would use me, and how I fit this offense and what he did in Seattle and what he did in New Orleans.”

“I know being a fullback, you have to do the dirty work,” he added. “I know I’m a versatile piece on offense, whether that’s catching the ball, blocking, sliding back or having an [isolation] on a linebacker. I feel like I can do a lot and this offense is really going to be able to show that.”

The fullback also adds value to the Raiders on special teams with 28 total tackles and 1,124 special teams snaps in four seasons played.

“No matter what you play on special teams, it takes a mentality,” he said. “It takes fundamentals, it takes everybody being on the same page and that’s what people sometimes don’t understand. Everybody has to be on the same page whether that’s the cadence, punt direction, kick direction, being in the correct lane. … It’s something I’ll always want to do for the rest of my career.”

Along with his expanded role, he’s also looking forward to reuniting with free agent signing Jalen Nailor, as the two were teammates at Michigan State from 2018-2021.

And to state the obvious, the ability to create his own legacy is equally enticing.

“Going back to Pittsburgh, being drafted there where my entire family is from, it was home and I kind of lived in a bubble,” he said. “And I feel like I kind of have to get uncomfortable and me coming out here is definitely uncomfortable, but I’m excited about it.”