Riley Nowakowski
Fifth-round pick, No. 169 overall
Fullback, Indiana
6-foot-2, 250 pounds
Stats: Had 32 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns last season. Added two 1-yard TD runs.
Hometown: Milwaukee
Tidbits: Nowakowski was listed as a tight end at Indiana, but the Steelers will roster him as a fullback. … Played linebacker, fullback and tight end in his college career. … The sixth-year senior spent his first five seasons at Wisconsin. … Appeared in 56 career games with 26 starts. … In 2025, earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from media and third-team from coaches. … Won a CFP national championship with Indiana in January. Scored a 1-yard rushing TD in the title game. … Started his career as a walk-on linebacker at Wisconsin. … Became a starter for the Badgers as a senior captain in 2024. He made 11 catches for 74 yards in 12 games (nine starts). … Draft analyst Lance Zierlein said in Nowakowski’s NFL.com profile that he “plays with better technique, strain and finish than many offensive linemen in this class.” … Earned bachelor’s degree industrial engineering from Wisconsin.