Navy's Eli Heidenreich getting drafted by hometown Steelers will give you goosebumps

Navy running back Eli Heidenreich getting drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft is why we televise this process.

Rather than just gather all the NFL's front office personnel in a big convention center to go through seven rounds of draft picks, the power of seeing a young man's dream come true in real time is palpable.

Heidenreich got a movie moment during Saturday's seventh round as the Pittsburgh native got drafted to his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, while he was in attendance.

Heidenreich got the full treatment: the dramatic walk to the stage, the famous hug with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the roaring crowd of Terrible Towels, the works. It was hard not to get emotional at watching the Navy product get his NFL Draft moment like this, particularly in the seventh round.

Awesome moment at the NFL Draft as Navy’s Eli Heidenreich is taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers ⚓️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/XRQzyasRPw— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) April 25, 2026

The talented Heidenreich has a chance to make the Steelers roster and turn into a hometown hero on his NFL journey. The moment he got drafted will live on as one of the best NFL Draft moments in a good while.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Navy RB Eli Heidenreich getting drafted by Steelers in Pittsburgh NFL Draft was amazing