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Eli Heidenreich

Eli Heidenreich

Navy · 6'0" · 198 lbs · Age 22
Buzz Score
10.1
Mentions (7d)
5
Sources (7d)
3
Avg ADP
51.2
Mock Appearances
17
40-Yard Dash
4.44s
Overall RAS
6.9

Scouting Report

AI Analysis · claude-opus-4-7 · 2026-05-03

Bottom Line

Round 7 dual-threat RB/WR tweener with a 4.44/35.5" vert athletic profile but only 6.9 RAS lands behind a four-deep Pittsburgh backfield with just 25 vacated carries to chase. Pure dart throw — taxi squad stash in deep dynasty only.

Team Fit & Opportunity

Pittsburgh used pick 230 on a Navy hybrid who profiles as a gadget piece more than a true RB or WR. The depth chart is brutal: Kaleb Johnson, Jaylen Warren, and Rico Dowdle are locked in, with Travis Homer as the special teams holdover. Only 25 vacated carries and 40 vacated targets means there's no organic path to touches. Best-case year-1 role is core ST contributor with situational sub-package usage as a motion/screen weapon.

Talent Profile

The 4.44 forty at 198 lbs and 35.5" vert flash legitimate NFL juice, but a 6.9 RAS tells you the broad jump (120") and 16-rep bench drag the composite into ordinary territory — explosive but not dynamic across the board. Sharp Football flagged him as Pittsburgh's best-value pick, and FantasyPros buzz cites strong production comps, but Navy's triple-option offense is notoriously hard to translate. He's listed as RB/WR by multiple outlets, which is scout code for "no defined position."

Strengths

  • Straight-line speed at size: 4.44 at 198 lbs gives him chunk-play upside on screens and outside zone reps.
  • Positional flexibility: Listed as RB/WR by Sharp and PFN — gives a creative OC sub-package and motion utility.
  • Production comps: FantasyPros highlighted elite production and agility metrics, suggesting the college tape backs the testing.

Concerns

  • Scheme translation: Navy's triple-option produces inflated rushing numbers that historically don't carry to the NFL — see Keenan Reynolds, Malcolm Perry.
  • No path to touches: Behind Johnson, Warren, and Dowdle with only 25 vacated carries; he's the RB4/5 at best.
  • Tweener risk: 6.9 RAS and a split RB/WR designation often means he's not good enough at either to win a defined role.

Historical Comp Read

The Navy/service-academy RB-to-WR conversion archetype most recently produced Malcolm Perry (Dolphins, 7th round, 2020) — flashed in camp, washed out within two years. Even successful tweener-types like Cordarrelle Patterson needed 4+ years to find their NFL niche, and CP had top-30 capital. The production comps FantasyPros cites are real but the scheme context kills most of the signal.

Outlook

Year 1: practice squad or deep RB5 with maybe a handful of gadget snaps, RB80+ in fantasy. Three-year ceiling is a Cordarrelle-lite gadget weapon if a creative coordinator scripts him 4-6 touches a week — flex-viable in deep PPR. Floor is out of the league by 2027 camp. The catalyst is a Warren or Dowdle injury opening a passing-down role; the trigger is the standard 7th-round special teams cut in August.

NFL Combine Metrics

40-Yard
4.44s
Vertical
35.5"
Broad Jump
120"
Bench
16 reps
Hand
9.5"
Arm
29.25"
Speed Score
8.4
Burst Score
6.3

College Production

Yards/Game
120.0
SeasonGamesRecRec YdsRec TDRush YdsRush TD
2025125194164993
2024133967164443
2023121938242141

Mock Draft History (17 appearances)

54
Fantasy Football Rookie Dynasty Rankings
1QB · 2026-05-06
48
Superflex Rookie Mock Draft: How Many Picks Before Things Get Ugly?
SUPERFLEX · 2026-05-01
44
Fantasy Pros 2026 Dynasty Rookie Mock (5 rounds)
SUPERFLEX · 2026-04-30
36
Smash Except Dynasty — Post-Draft Rookie Mock (4 rounds)
SUPERFLEX · 2026-04-30
45
Tier-Based Top 48 Rookie Rankings (4 rounds)
SUPERFLEX · 2026-04-30
50
Top 50 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
1QB · 2026-04-29
44
DD Fantasy Football 2026 Post-Draft Rookie Mock | 12-Team Superflex 1.75 TE Premium 4-Round
SUPERFLEX · 2026-04-27
43
Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Superflex, 4 Rounds (2026)
SUPERFLEX · 2026-04-26
55
2026 7-Round Mixed IDP Rookie Mock Draft | Superflex, TE Premium, IDP
SUPERFLEX · 2026-04-22T10:30:00.000Z
82
RotoBaller Dynasty Superflex/2QB Rookie Rankings (Pre-Draft)
SUPERFLEX · 2026-04-21

Recent Mentions

Dynasty Nerds — "...ams | Matt Cooper 5.04. Kevin Coleman | WR | Miami Dolphins | Jon Glosser 5.05. Eli Heidenreich | WR | Pittsburgh Ste"
Walter Football — "...dries, TE, Bengals 52. Seth McGowan, RB, Colts 53. Jam Miller, RB, Patriots 54. Eli Heidenreich, RB, Steelers 55. Zav"
FantasyLife — "...depth charts. I could see Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen and [shudder] even Eli Heidenreich getting some decent pr"
Establish The Run — "...DT Gabriel Rubio 7 (224). Oklahoma S Robert Spears-Jennings 7 (230). Navy RB Eli Heidenreich   Overview: The Stee"
Sharp Football Analysis — "...sburgh Steelers Draft Grade: C+ Instant impact: Germie Bernard, WR Best value : Eli Heidenreich, RB/WR Riskiest pick "
Establish The Run — "...DT Gabriel Rubio 7 (224). Oklahoma S Robert Spears-Jennings 7 (230). Navy RB Eli Heidenreich   Overview: The Stee"
RotoBaller — "...| Caleb Douglas | WR 8. 39 | Oscar Delp | TE 9. 40 | Zavion Thomas | WR 9. 41 | Eli Heidenreich | WR 9. 42 | Eli Rari"
Pro Football Network — "...nings Dunker Kaden Wetjen Riley Nowakowski Gabriel Rubio Robert Spears-Jennings Eli Heidenreich 15. Tampa Bay Buccan"
Pro Football Network — "...189) Cincinnati Bengals Tanner Koziol, Houston | TE 190) New Orleans Saints Eli Heidenreich, Navy | WR/RB 191) Ne"
FantasyLife — "...B 71. Keyshaun Elliott | Arizona State | LB 72. VJ Payne | Kansas State | S 73. Eli Heidenreich | Navy | RB 74. Jeff "
View all Running Backs buzz rankings →