Trying to choose one position to describe Eli Heidenreich was always futile, even as a title-winning high school player at Mt. Lebanon.
Running back? Slotback? Wide receiver? Slot receiver? Wildcat quarterback?
“He’s a football player,” said Bob Palko, his former high school coach. “That was the beauty of it.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Heidenreich in the seventh round Saturday, creating maybe the most memorable moment of this year’s NFL Draft by choosing the hometown kid.
Wearing his service dress blues as a Day 3 invite, the Navy midshipman made the walk from the draft’s green room to the main stage outside Acrisure Stadium once his name was called. The TV cameras captured his emotions along the way, including a quick salute when he donned a Steelers hat.
Heidenreich was selected 230th in a 257-pick draft.
“I started videoing it, just so I could show my kids, and I couldn’t stop crying,” Palko said. “I couldn’t stop tearing up. It’s just such a feel-good story because I know all the time and effort he put in.”
Heidenreich was a versatile piece on a Mt. Lebanon team that won WPIAL and PIAA Class 6A titles in 2021. In hindsight, the most surprising aspect of his football story might be how few colleges were recruiting him.
He committed to Navy over an offer from Davidson, while also drawing some Ivy League interest. He was unranked by the recruiting websites, receiving no stars.
“Not being super-highly recruited, for me, it was kind of frustrating initially,” Heidenreich said Saturday. “Wondering, why am I not getting stars or offers, whatever it may be. Something my dad kind of helped me understand was ‘use this as fuel.’ I think that taught me how to work, taught me how to make myself better on my own accord.
“I think that’s the biggest lesson I took away from that time. Just use it as motivation and become a better football player as a result of it.”
At Navy, he set team records for career receiving yards (1,994) and career touchdown catches (19). But he also rushed for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns as a slotback in Navy’s option offense.
Heidenreich earned all-conference honors at wide receiver last season, and was grouped with running backs for the draft.
Steelers coach Mike McCarthy was asked whether Heidenreich was a running back or wide receiver.
McCarthy answered: “both.”
“That (versatility) is the wonderful thing about him, but it’s a double-edged sword,” Heidenreich’s father, David, said. “He’s not a textbook receiver or a textbook running back. He’s in between, and he’s good at both.”
McCarthy dug into his Green Bay coaching days to find a comparison for Heidenreich. He chose Randall Cobb, a receiver with 17 rushing touchdowns.
“He’s definitely a position flex,” McCarthy said of Heidenreich. “He can play from the slot. He can play from the backfield. You can see him out displaced. Any time you put a young man in the receiver room, he has to play all three (receiver) positions. … But his ability to also play from the backfield, and just the diversity, is important.”
Palko wasn’t surprised.
The 6-foot, 198-pound Heidenreich played snaps at receiver, running back, quarterback and safety at Mt. Lebanon. He helped the Blue Devils defeat Philadelphia Catholic League power St. Joseph’s Prep in the state finals.
That fall, Heidenreich caught 54 passes for 1,330 yards and 20 touchdowns, rushed for 647 yards and seven TDs and even tossed a touchdown pass.
Palko said Heidenreich certainly proved himself, but the pandemic affected the recruitment of nearly everyone in his graduating class.
“First of all, covid was the year before,” Palko said. “So, there were less scholarships available. Everything was still up in the air, and nobody knew what was happening. … Junior year, when you normally get recruited, we really didn’t have a season. It was a mess.”
Even so, Heidenreich and high school teammate Alex Tecza found a fit at the U.S. Naval Academy. Tecza, a running back, also started three seasons at Navy. On Monday, Tecza accepted a rookie camp invite from the Steelers after going undrafted.
“How many kids really go and stay (at the college they choose)?” Palko said. “These two go to the Naval Academy, and they’re set for life. It was the right fit.”