Get to know the Steelers’ Day 3 picks

That, of course, is not why the Steelers drafted him.

Wetjen was the premier return man in college football last year, returning three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns in 2025, including a 26.8-yard average on punt returns. I’ll admit that I don’t believe Wetjen is quite the human joystick some seem to advertise him as — check out the lanes his teammates were blocking for him in the cutup below — but his open field vision and short-area acceleration are excellent.

On offense, Wetjen wasn’t much of a featured player, which you can either see as a cause for concern (didn’t outperform a lackluster Iowa wide receiver room) or a reason for upside (the offensive system at Iowa… wasn’t great).

However, Wetjen often saw manufactured touches to give him the ball in space, and his quickness resulted in some solid routes. He has some slot potential, but his lack of long speed and length/catch radius are pretty obvious and cap his ability as a pure receiver. He was more of a gadget/ball carrier type at his best on offense, where he managed two touchdowns and 79 yards as a runner for Iowa in 2025.

(No. 21 in the cutup below).

Round 5

Indiana FB/TE Riley Nowakowski

Nowakowski was a tight end/H-back for the National Champion Hoosiers in 2025, and if he was [enter your ideal tight end size here], he’d probably rate a lot higher in the 2026 draft class.

Still at 6’2, 250 pounds with a 7.34 RAS (4.66-second 40-yard dash), Nowakowski is a solid athlete who can certainly find a role in the right NFL scheme. He’s a lot of fun to watch as a run blocker, with great punch and drive even if his sustain can be iffy due to his size. And as a pass catcher, he sets up his breaks surprisingly well on routes even if his change of direction isn’t particularly special.

The Steelers are going to use Nowakowski as a fullback first and foremost, which should fit his skill set perfectly. The strengths of his game lend well to being a lead blocker, and his ability to fill in as a TE3 only enhances his value to the team.

(No. 37 in the cutup below).

Round 6

Notre Dame DT Gabriel Rubio

Rubio ranked at No. 635 on Wide Left’s excellent consensus big board on draft day — he’s not a name who was on the radar of many. He was on the Steelers’, however, and it’s not a big surprise. He played football at a prestigious school, and his father, Angel, was a Steelers draft pick in 1998.

On paper, Rubio’s draft profile isn’t all that inspiring. His RAS is just 4.82, and he recorded 0.5 sacks and 13 combined tackles in 2025 — his fifth year in college football. He also missed six games with an arm injury last season.

However, some numbers do stand out — Rubio is a large individual even by NFL standards at 6’5, 321 pounds, with over-33-inch arms. On the field, he uses that length to keep defenders at bay and even shed some blocks. That, combined with his size, makes him a plus run defender even if his upside isn’t the best.

Rubio actually grew on me a bit watching his games after the pick. He’s not an A+ sixth-round value, but he’s definitely not a bad name to add to the Pittsburgh depth chart.

(No. 97 in the cutup below).

Round 7

Oklahoma S Robert Spears-Jennings

My journey getting to know Spears-Jennings as a player had the opposite arc of Rubio’s. The Oklahoma safety has an intriguing profile on paper: prototypical size at 6’1, 205 pounds with an excellent 9.78 RAS and 4.32-second 40-yard dash.

For the Sooners in 2025, Spears-Jennings logged 59 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception. He has a nice mix of athletic upside and experience as a two-year SEC starter.

However, watching him play, I didn’t think Spears-Jennings’s 40 time showed much in his urgency in pursuit, even if he is an above-average tackler coming downhill. In coverage, he has some flashes, but got beat far too often biting on double moves or play-action fakes. He does offer some versatility with solid reps as both a deep safety and in the box, but he still has a long way to go before he can be a contributor on defense.

This is Day 3, though, and Spears-Jennings could be a solid special teamer with his size/speed combination. And I’m generally a fan of high-ceiling swings in the final round.

(No. 3 in the cutup below — ignore my botched caption, he’s playing for Oklahoma against Ole Miss here).

Navy RB/WR Eli Heidenreich

Heidenreich is the rare big-name Round 7 pick — he was a popular prospect among draft sickos before the event, and received a lot of media attention after Pittsburgh chose him at No. 230.

Heidenreich played a slotback role in Navy’s offense but also saw usage as a more traditional receiver and running back at times. He scored an impressive 9.25 RAS (listed at running back) entering the draft, headlined by a 4.44-second 40-yard dash. However, no matter how he’s used in the NFL (Heidenreich saw draft hype at running back, receiver, and fullback) he’s undersized at just 6’0, 198 pounds.

However, Heidenreich was undeniably productive in 2025, with 499 rushing yards, 941 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns for the Midshipmen. He has good burst and gets upfield quickly as a running back, while his athleticism and ability to catch through contact shine in the receiving game. He was used as a blocker quite a bit in college as well and impressed.

How Heidenreich’s game translates to the NFL is the big question, but his fantastic testing certainly upped the optimism. What will be interesting is how he fits into a Steelers offense that already has a lot of players in his mold — Wetjen and Max Hurleman are both compactly-built, multipurpose weapons, and even Steelers’ second-round pick Germie Bernard was used quite a bit behind the line of scrimmage for Alabama in 2025.

That said, Heidenreich is built like a preseason legend. And some of that might translate to regular season success.

(No. 22 in the cutup below).

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