{"id":896394,"date":"2026-05-20T13:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/896394\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T13:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:07:19","slug":"popular-steelers-rookie-destined-for-the-practice-squad-despite-fan-excitement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/896394\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular Steelers Rookie \u201cDestined For The Practice Squad” Despite Fan Excitement"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the more active teams during the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>, which took place in the Steel City. The franchise initially had 12 overall selections and ended up taking 10 rookies. It will be very hard for the entire group to make the 53-man roster come late August; however, the front office was able to find some value in the later rounds. The coaching staff will have some tough decisions to make if certain players impress throughout offseason workouts and into training camp. It’s not likely that all will find themselves wearing Black and Gold come September.<\/p>\n

\"Steelers<\/p>\n

Jordan Schofield \/ SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan looks out to the crowd and takes it all in as the team works out during a 2025 training camp practice being held at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.<\/p>\n

General Manager Omar Khan<\/a>\u00a0and Head Coach Mike McCarthy<\/a>\u00a0clearly believed that the 10 incoming rookies could potentially help the organization in 2026. That doesn’t necessarily mean that each player will prove himself in the coming months. Often times, individuals taken on one of the first two days of the big event are safe, even if their summer does not go as planned. Day 3 selections, though, are a different story.<\/p>\n

The Steelers picked five guys on the Saturday of the NFL Draft, immediately putting pressure on those prospects to perform. Special teams will be one way to make the roster, but there will be other avenues if any of them can find a certain niche on either offense or defense. This is where McCarthy can eventually get creative with someone.<\/p>\n

One of the better stories that ended up coming to fruition was Navy\u00a0offensive weapon Eli Heidenreich<\/a>\u00a0being scooped up by the Steelers in the seventh round. Beat writer Mark Kaboly\u00a0noted that<\/a> the playmaker isn’t necessarily the most physically-imposing player, but he might have what it takes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeventh-round pick Eli Heidenreich, a Navy graduate out of nearby Mt. Lebanon, might not be the biggest, strongest, and most talented player on the 90-man roster, but the jack-of-all-trades skillset that got him drafted will be tested over the next couple of months,\u201d Kaboly wrote.<\/p>\n

Despite this, Heidenreich has been compared<\/a> \u2014 in a very lax manner \u2014 to Christian McCaffrey\u00a0by the insider in Kaboly. That doesn’t mean, however, that it will be smooth-sailing from here on out.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeidenreich has a long way to make the 53-man roster, and it is more likely destined for the practice squad, but he will get every opportunity to find a role,” Kaboly noted. \u201cThe problem is that he\u2019s going to have to find multiple roles, as well as being a core special teamer, and that might be too much to expect out of Heidenreich, at least for his rookie year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seventh-round selections do not have very easy paths to landing on rosters immediately. This is what could make things complicated for the Steelers. If cut in August, any other team can sign Heidenreich to its 53-man roster. Pittsburgh may have the advantage in that scenario because of the rookie’s hometown roots, especially if a handshake deal is in place to promote him from the practice squad almost right away.<\/p>\n

\"Steelers'<\/p>\n

Karl Roser \/ Pittsburgh Steelers<\/p>\n

Steelers’ offensive playmaker Eli Heidenreich walks onto the field with his helmet in hand as the team prepares to go through a 2026 rookie minicamp workout in Pittsburgh, PA.<\/p>\n

There will be a lot of attention on and discussion about Heidenreich moving forward. He might have the ability to be a legitimate weapon for the offense, but he was a seventh-round selection for a reason.<\/p>\n

The Steelers could use a do-it-all type of playmaker; however, the rookie will need to earn his place moving forward. His NFL journey may have to begin on the practice squad in Pittsburgh prior to himself working his way up. That is, if he impresses McCarthy and co. enough.<\/p>\n

\"Steelers'<\/p>\n

Karl Roser \/ Pittsburgh Steelers<\/p>\n

Steelers’ Mike McCarthy looks on during rookie minicamp during the 2026 offseason.<\/p>\n

Steelers Having A Secret Weapon In Heidenreich Would Be Ideal<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh has done what it can dating back to January to make the offense more dynamic. The pieces are in place, but it would be nice to have an unexpected surprise that comes in and showcases elite skills. The seventh-rounder in Heindenreich could be the answer the Steelers have been looking for; although, the team might not see results immediately, especially if he is cut and re-signed to the practice squad at a later date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the more active teams during the 2026 NFL Draft, which took place…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":896395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[4124,70904,198,7,2394,5241,7866,2285,6,1256,520,57,2360,426,96367,2395],"class_list":["post-896394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-christian-mccaffrey","tag-eli-heidenreich","tag-featured","tag-football","tag-forum","tag-mark-kaboly","tag-mike-mccarthy","tag-navy","tag-nfl","tag-omar-khan","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-pittsburghsteelers","tag-steelers","tag-steelers-2026-nfl-draft","tag-steelers-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116607061132508524","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}