This article originally appeared on SteelersNOW.com.
Eli Heidenreich‘s draft moment was a memorable one. Outfitted in his service dress blues, he draped a Terrible Towel over his shoulders, fighting back tears in the green room after hearing his name called by the Pittsburgh Steelers in April.
Later dubbed the “Swiss Navy Knife” by Steelers running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung and “probably the greatest seventh-round pick we’ve ever made” by team president Art Rooney II, Heidenreich finally took the field in his No. 29 black and gold jersey in Thursday night’s 28-9 preseason-opening win against the Green Bay Packers.
Before the Mt. Lebanon High School and Navy product toted the ball nine times for 21 yards, he discussed how special it is to play for his hometown team with fellow Steelers newcomers who are from the area, including safety Jaquan Brisker and receiver Levi Wentz.
“We talk about it, all the other local guys,” Heidenreich said. “Steelers football and the fans and what it means to the city of Pittsburgh, it’s different than other places. You can’t take that lightly when you kinda get a chance to go out and represent them in a way.”
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