Eli
Heidenreich.
Eli
Heidenreich.
Navy· 6'0"· 198 lb· 4.44s 40
R7 · #230 · Pittsburgh Steelers"A Danny Woodhead-style gadget and special teams piece: undersized, fast, used in a designed package rather than a defined position."Pre-draft read
Eli Heidenreich operates as a movement piece employed from the slot in the option offense. He demonstrates patience on perimeter runs, allowing blocks to develop before taking vertical creases. He is utilized in jet sweeps and pitches, leaks into the flat on pass plays, and runs deep posts off play-action. He contributes as a perimeter blocker in space.
Heidenreich's receiving production is scheme-dependent, often coming from shot plays designed off run action, and does not showcase work against press or a developed route tree. His small frame affects his ability to win contested catches or operate as an interior runner. He has also been involved in punt returns and special teams coverage.
Spread RPO offenses that prioritize speed and versatility can maximize Heidenreich’s unique skill set, particularly those that incorporate jet motion and designed touches for gadget players.
Initially, he can be a core special teams player and a gadget offensive piece, with a ceiling as a dynamic 'Swiss Army Knife' who can impact games with a few tailored touches.
A traditional pro-style offense that relies on a primary bell-cow running back and conventional route trees would severely limit his utility.
Heidenreich's value comes from being a movement-based offensive weapon and special teams contributor, not a traditional position player, necessitating a creative offensive play-caller to unlock his potential.
Eli Heidenreich Did EVERYTHING at Navy
Highlight reel of his three seasons as Navy's slotback, covering the rushing, receiving and return work.
THIS Is Why The Steelers Drafted Eli Heidenreich | Player Profile and Scouting Report
Scouting breakdown of his fit in Pittsburgh as a gadget and special teams piece.
Navy's Eli Heidenreich on his football journey ahead of the NFL Draft
Pre-draft interview covering the Naval Academy path, the Army game and the deferred service commitment.
Heidenreich projects as a versatile offensive weapon and special teams asset, offering a team a player whose value is in designed packages rather than a traditional positional role. His genuine speed, evidenced by a 4.44 forty-yard dash, combined with unusual patience, allows him to capitalize on offensive schemes that isolate him in space.
At Navy, Heidenreich was the most productive skill player in an option-heavy offense, primarily functioning as a slotback. He accumulated 169 carries for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns, alongside 109 catches for 1,994 yards and 16 touchdowns over 38 games. His senior year in 2025 was his most productive, with 51 catches for 941 yards and six touchdowns, and he secured the game-winning touchdown against Army.
Concerns regarding Heidenreich's fit stem from his light frame (198 pounds), very short arms, and an undeveloped route tree due to Navy's specific offensive scheme. His positional identity was fluid during the draft process, listed variously as a receiver, running back, or fullback. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- 01
Genuine speed
4.44 forty — Displays genuine speed with a 4.44 forty and a 1.55 ten-yard split, enabling him to gain the edge and take vertical creases effectively.
- 02
Three-phase production
Provided three-phase production at Navy with carries, receptions, punt returns, and pass attempts across 38 games.
- 03
Significant vertical receiving
Generated significant vertical receiving yardage with 18.3 yards per career reception, often on deep shot plays from the option offense.
- 04
Productive senior season
Achieved his best collegiate season as a senior, recording 51 catches for 941 yards, six receiving touchdowns, and 499 rushing yards.
- 05
Clutch performance
Delivered a critical play, scoring a fourth-and-goal touchdown catch against Army that secured a 17-16 victory and the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.
- 01
Light frame
Possesses a light frame at 198 pounds, which limits his potential for interior running and durability in a full-time role.
- 02
Very short arm length
Arm length of 29¼ inches is very short, hindering his ability to win contested catches and effectively disengage from blockers.
- 03
Undeveloped route tree
Operated within an undeveloped route tree at Navy, primarily running flat routes and deep shot plays, lacking exposure to a diverse route menu.
- 04
Limited against press
Shows almost no tape against press coverage, making it difficult to project his effectiveness when facing NFL-caliber man-to-man defense.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.44sp50
- Vertical
- 35.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 120inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Navy | 12 | 27 | 214 | 1 | 19 | 382 |
| 2024 | Navy | 13 | 65 | 444 | 3 | 39 | 671 |
| 2025 | Navy | 13 | 77 | 499 | 3 | 51 | 941 |
| Career | — | 38 | 169 | 1157 | 7 | 109 | 1994 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Blake HorvathQB31%
- Alex TeczaRB10%
- Braxton WoodsonQB8%
#2 of 13 tracked contributors · Produced in line with his snap share · Offense explosiveness 1.24 (p51) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Honors
- Second-team All-American Conference in 2025
- Naval Academy Athletic Association Athlete of the Week on December 16, 2025, after the 17-16 win over Army
- Caught the game-winning fourth-and-goal touchdown against Army on December 13, 2025 to retain the Commander-in-Chief Trophy
- Panini Senior Bowl Stock Up Player of the Week and an ESPN helmet sticker in October 2025
- Invited to and tested at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine
- With Landon Robinson, part of the first Navy pair drafted in the same NFL Draft since 1956
A bottom-of-the-roster hybrid who earns his spot on four special teams units and takes a handful of gadget snaps a week.
The ceiling if the speed and hands survive the jump: a designed-touch offensive weapon who becomes a genuine third-down and screen-game piece.
The floor and the cautionary academy comp: an undersized converted option skill player who bounces between practice squads without ever landing a defined position.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pittsburgh drafted a Navy skill player without deciding what he is, and that ambiguity is the whole evaluation. Heidenreich ran 4.44 at 198 pounds, caught 51 passes for 941 yards as a senior in an option offense that almost never throws, and won the Army game on a fourth-and-goal touchdown catch.
He was also listed as a receiver at the Combine, a running back by ESPN and a fullback by PFF, which is what happens to a player whose value is a designed package rather than a position. The Steelers get a fast, tough, three-phase body with 29¼-inch arms and no route tree, plus a service commitment to work around.
Realistic outcome: a bottom-of-the-roster hybrid who earns his place on four special teams units and takes a handful of gadget snaps a week. The high end is a Danny Woodhead-style third-down and screen-game weapon if the hands and speed survive the jump; the floor is the Malcolm Perry path, an undersized academy convert who never lands a defined role.
Data note: Sources: cfbstats.com individual player pages for 2023, 2024 and 2025 (primary for the season lines), sports-reference.com college career page (career totals match cfbstats exactly, plus the defense and fumbles table), ESPN player page for the 2024 cross-check, navysports.com for the Meet the Mid feature, the Combine invite release, the NAAA Athlete of the Week release and the 1956 draft-duo note, theamerican.org for the Army-Navy recap, nflcombineresults.com and MockDraftable for the measurements and percentiles, NFL.com for the official 4.44 forty, steelers.com for the selection, and Wikipedia for biographical details. Discrepancies: he is listed at four different positions depending on the source, snipe or slotback by Navy, running back by ESPN and Sports Reference, wide receiver on the Combine and nflcombineresults pages, and fullback by PFF; he is carried here as RB. Listed weight moves from 195 as a sophomore to 201 as a junior to 206-208 as a senior against 198 at the Combine, which reads as a pre-draft cut rather than a source conflict. PFF shows 437 rushing yards in 2025 against 499 on cfbstats and Sports Reference, and the official box-score sources are used. Games started are not published by any source and are left null rather than guessed. He did not test the bench press, three-cone or shuttle in Indianapolis and no Navy pro day recap with supplementary numbers was found. ras_score left null per Rule 4.1 because no RAS card from Kent Lee Platte could be confirmed. All three film clips validated via YouTube oEmbed (HTTP 200). All prose written in English per Rule 0u.