Steelers pick Kaden Wetjen in NFL draft: Highlights, stats
Iowa football's Kaden Wetjen has been selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2026 NFL Draft.
IOWA CITY — The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Iowa 's Kaden Wetjen in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The electric playmaker has the most combined return touchdowns (punt and kickoff) in Iowa program history with six. Wetjen cemented himself as one of the all-time special teams greats for the Hawkeyes.
He is a two-time Jet Award winner, which honors college football's top return specialist. Wetjen is quite the underdog story. He began his college career at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to the Hawkeyes as a preferred walk-on.
It wasn't until Wetjen's third season in the Iowa program that he broke out, establishing himself as a dangerous special teams weapon for the Hawkeyes in 2024. He is undersized but possesses great speed and elusiveness. After scoring two return touchdowns in 2024, Wetjen managed to outperform that mark last season.
Wetjen finished the 2025 season with four return touchdowns — three punts and one kickoff. While Wetjen's impact was felt the most on special teams, he also carved out a role on offense. Last season, he hauled in 20 receptions for 151 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for two touchdowns, all of which were career-highs.