Mike McCarthy designed quarterback-friendly passing attacks in both Green Bay and Dallas, but he always finds room in his offense for the lowly fullback.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had no fullbacks on the roster until they used a Day 3 draft pick on Indiana’s Riley Nowakowski, a multi-positional player who could expand McCarthy’s playbook here. The NFL listed the 23-year-old as a tight end for draft purposes, but he also played H-back and fullback for the national champion Hoosiers.
The backfield is where the Steelers see him playing most.
McCarthy can remember an era when Tom Rathman, Daryl Johnston and Larry Centers were more than just bruising blockers in the backfield. The fullback was the linchpin for many teams’ two-back attack a few decades ago.
In a cyclical league, old ideas become new again.
“I love the two-back offense,” McCarthy said on draft day. “There’s a lot of things that you saw in this league in the ‘90s, where two-back offense was a primary component of normal down-and-distance. … It’s something I did a little bit in Dallas, down there in 2023-24. We’ll be able to have that (with the Steelers).”
Draft analyst Ric Serritella compared Nowakowski to All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk of the 49ers in the NFL Draft Bible, saying the Steelers’ draft pick “brings a very similar style due to his ability to run, catch and most importantly block.” Juszczyk last season played 155 snaps in the backfield, 161 at tight end, 143 in the slot and 46 out wide, according to Pro Football Focus.
That’s a lofty comparison for Nowakowski, but there also aren’t as many fullbacks to compare nowadays. Serritella said one-third of teams used a traditional fullback last season. He noted, however, that 10 of 14 playoff teams used one.
McCarthy clearly sees the value.
Packers fullback John Kuhn earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors under McCarthy in Green Bay, and Hunter Luepke carved out a meaningful role with the Cowboys in recent years. So, if Nowakowski proves himself capable, a role in the offense awaits him.
“I’d say coach (McCarthy) is a smash mouth football guy,” said running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr., adding that “the role for the fullback is to be versatile, to be able to help the team in multiple ways.”
Riley Nowakowski (6’2 250) Indiana
Versatility as a tight end, h-back, and fullback
0 drops the last 2 years
88.9% completion rate when
target during the 2025 season
Physicality as a blocker
Toughness as a runner after the catch
Power in his hands
Work ethic to go… pic.twitter.com/tN6pzK5sra— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) April 12, 2026
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Nowakowski’s primary position at Indiana was tight end, where he made 32 catches and contributed as a strong blocker. Chinyoung said Nowakowski has room to grow as a backfield blocker, but he saw solid effort overall when watching video of him.
“He’s shown on tape that he has the ability to navigate through the backfield,” Chinyoung said. “The young man plays with grit, and at the end of the day, it’s all about will. You’ve got to be willing to go hunt, as I love to say.”
Nowakowski as a senior played most of his snaps — 665 — as a traditional in-line tight end. He added 124 snaps in the slot, 54 split wide and 26 in the backfield. Before transferring to Indiana last season, he also played various spots in five years at Wisconsin. He‘d joined the Badgers in 2020 as a walk-on linebacker before moving to offense.
“I feel like I’ve been used kind of almost everywhere,” Nowakowski said on draft day. “I’ve played fullback, I’ve played in-line tight end. Did a lot of H-back work, too. So, I really feel like … I’ve kind of done a little bit of everything. I think that is extremely helpful because I feel comfortable in any position.”
His position flexibility seems ideal for a modern-day fullback as somewhat of a Swiss army knife. He caught two passes and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the national championship game.
The Steelers drafted him in the fifth round at 169 overall. He went 10 picks after Michigan fullback/tight end Max Bredeson, who was drafted by the Vikings. Bredeson caught just two passes last season.
“I think, when you look at Riley, his versatility jumps off the charts,” McCarthy said. “When you go back to his background in Wisconsin, he played the two-back offense and the three-surface offense, where he played the fullback up on the line.
“He played one year in a run-and-shoot-type, one-back (offense),” McCarthy added. “So, he has one-back running ability, too.”
Nowakowski may inherit some work from Connor Heyward, who left for Las Vegas in free agency. Heyward played snaps at fullback, tight end, receiver and wildcat quarterback last year.
The two players have some similar skills, but Nowakowski is two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than Heyward. The rookie also ran the 40-yard dash faster, posting a 4.66-second time at the combine compared to Heyward’s 4.72 in 2022.
“I definitely envision us utilizing the (fullback) position often,” Chinyoung said. “That’s going to define itself once he gets here and we’re able to see where he fits us best and where he can grow.”