INDIANAPOLIS — In 2011, Cam Heyward was a defensive tackle taken in the first round of the NFL draft who went to high school in Suwanee, Ga., and to college at Ohio State.
Fifteen years later, Kayden McDonald is a defensive tackle projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft who went to high school in Suwanee, Ga., and to college at Ohio State.
Those facts aren’t all that McDonald and Heyward share. They also share a friendship.
“We have a great relationship — (the Heyward) family, my family and the Steelers,” McDonald said Wednesday from the site of the NFL Combine. “It’s a great opportunity. I had a formal interview with (the Steelers), and I felt really good about it.”
The 6-foot-3, 326-pound McDonald went to high school at North Gwinnett, less than a 20-minute drive from Peachtree Ridge High School, whose alumni include Heyward and his younger brother, Connor, a Steelers tight end.
McDonald’s older brother, Jayden, played football growing up with Connor, and that sparked a family friendship that has endured more than a decade.
“My mom and his mom just clicked,” McDonald said. “And their whole family is just one big circle. You know, we’re all helpful to each other and we all grew up in the same area.”
A unanimous All-American after having nine tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles this past season, McDonald does not turn 21 until next month. He said he learns from the 36-year-old Cam Heyward, who was all-Big Ten in 2010 has been a six-time first- or second-team AP NFL All Pro.
“He’s one of the best players to do it,” McDonald said, “and he’s still playing. Having him and being around Connor Heyward, just that brotherhood. I click right in with him.”
Though the Steelers took a defensive tackle in the first round last season, there’s nothing preventing them from going to that proverbial well once again during this draft. After all, Heyward won’t play forever.
In a cheeky tacit acknowledgement that the team is still interested in adding quality defensive linemen, general manager Omar Khan smirked when asked if d-line was crossed off his 2026 draft list after they drafted two players from the position last year.
McDonald is a player expected to be drafted within a few slots of the Steelers’ current pick at No. 21 overall.
“I believe I’m the best defensive tackle in this draft class,” McDonald said. “I really pride myself on being consistent, competitive and holding my teammates accountable, and I put it all together working on my diet and just staying consistent. Just doing what I’ve got to do.”