Family of Pittsburgh native and Steelers draft pick Eli Heidenrich watches their son at training camp
Saturday was a special day for one of the newest Pittsburgh Steelers in Latrobe.
Wide receiver/running back Eli Heidenrich is a Mount Lebanon native, and while simply being selected by his boyhood team in the 2026 NFL Draft would have been enough, he's making his mark at Saint Vincent College.
This weekend, his parents made the trip to Westmoreland County to watch their son practice with the black and gold.
His father, David, said watching his son on the practice field with football legends was both a surreal and emotional experience for him.
"That's every father's dream, and every kid's dream, and now to see that come to fruition today, utterly amazing," he said. "To be out there with the names like [Aaron] Rodgers, [DK] Metcalf, and on the other side, TJ [Watt], all those guys, again, I'm going back to the word that makes me a little bit emotional: it's surreal."
Eli's dad said the last time he got out to watch the team practice, Eli was just 2 years old.
Heidenrich drafted by Steelers, "Forever emblazoned on my heart."
When the NFL Draft took over Pittsburgh earlier this year, it was a celebration of all things Pittsburgh and all things football.
However, on the last day of the draft, with their final pick of the weekend, the Steelers selected Heidenrich in the seventh round out of the United States Naval Academy.
"I had the whole spectrum of emotions the last 20 minutes," he said in an interview with the Steelers' website. "It's really been incredible; I am just thankful for the opportunity. I was born and raised a Steelers fan. The chance for me to go and put on that uniform and contribute to that team is unbelievable."
For his father David and his mother Tara, that moment was nearly indescribable.
"It was a very emotional Saturday. All the feels," Tara said.
"When he hung up and said, 'I'm a Pittsburgh Steeler,' that moment is forever emblazoned on my heart," David said.
While his journey to the Steelers began on the football fields of western Pennsylvania with the Mount Lebanon Blue Devils, it was sent into overdrive in Annapolis.
"I call it a maturity accelerator. He came back in one year and was a totally different human being," David said.
His family has a history of service; his grandfather was a naval aviator, and his uncle served in the Navy, as well.
He is planning to become a Marine Corps officer, and if fans are wondering how Eli will serve both his country and show up for the Steelers on Sundays, he's ready to find a way.
"He will go into the reserves with the Marines, and he'll also go to some off-season opportunities to represent the Marines and the military," Tara said.
Eli, if he makes the final roster, will join the likes of Rocky Bleier, John Banaszak, Alejandro Villanueva, and several others who donned the uniform of the United States military and the black and gold.