Steelers Selection of Eli Heidenreich Caps Big Pittsburgh Weekend
Navy's dual-threat star Eli Heidenreich donned his dress uniform when he was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers’ last selection in the first NFL Draft held in Pittsburgh was memorable as they chose Navy running back/wide receiver Eli Heidenreich with their second pick in the seventh round. Heidenreich, from suburban Mount Lebanon, Pa. , wore his full Naval Academy dress uniform when commissioner Roger Goodell introduced him to the crowd.
More than 800,000 fans attended the three-day event in the shadow of Acrisure Stadium. "It was pretty incredible," Heidenreich said. "The biggest thing for me is I turned that corner, and you see the city skyline in the background, and the crowd is like 90 percent black and gold.
It's all Steelers fans out there. It was such a cool moment. Everything just kind of came together.
"I was pretty overwhelmed with emotions, but I'm just thankful that I had this opportunity that the NFL invited me to be in the green room and allowed for this moment to be even more special. " The 6-foot, 198-pounder earned second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors last season after totaling 1,440 yards. He recorded 51 receptions for 941 yards and six touchdowns, and also rushed 77 times for 499 yards and three TDs.