Steelers' Eli Heidenreich showed what NFL dreams are made of

Steelers' Eli Heidenreich showed what NFL dreams are made of originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Eli Heidenreich already had an agreement reached with a team to sign as an undrafted free agent, he told ESPN's set after the moment that actually began his NFL career.

The seventh round wasn't over. Heidenreich was in attendance, because he's from Pittsburgh, the site of this year's NFL Draft. The Navy star thought there was a good chance he'd be picked on Day 3, and he wanted to be there.

It started to look like that wouldn't happen, but then the Steelers went on the clock, and they called Heidenreich's name, and the rest of the scenes were what NFL dreams are all about.

Heidenreich had grown up in this city, grown into a star in this city, grown into a state champion with Mt. Lebanon nearby.

He clearly knew how to wave a Terrible Towel. He'd done that once or twice.

And even he couldn't quite believe it.

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The ESPN cameras got to him right away, and tears were already bursting out of his face.

His family gathered with him looked like they'd just seen someone they loved win the ultimate lottery.

Really, though, this wasn't a lottery.

Heidenreich had worked for this moment.

You don't go to Navy without hard work.

You don't set receiving records at a school that has never really wanted to pass without hard work.

You don't get drafted into the NFL without hard work.

The fortune here, of course, is that it was his hometown team drafting him while the draft itself was held in his hometown.