The last day of the NFL Draft continued into the sixth round this afternoon with the Steelers taking Connor Heyward, tight end out of Michigan State, as their fifth selection.
Heyward is the son of the late NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, who passed away from a brain tumor at 39 years old in 2006, and the brother of Cam Heyward, the Steelers’ standout defensive lineman. Connor Heyward is also the fourth offensive skill player selected by the Steelers in five picks thus far.
In 2019, Connor Heyward was named a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. He switched from fullback to tight end in 2021 and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference with 35 catches for 326 yards and two touchdowns receiving.
Earlier today, the Steelers selected Calvin Austin III, Memphis wide receiver, with the 138th selection.
Austin posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with Memphis. He played in 13 games off the bench in 2019. Austin was a first-team All-AAC selection in 2020 after ranking sixth in the FBS with 11 receiving touchdowns and eighth with 1,053 receiving yards on 63 receptions for 16.7 yards per catch. He also scored on one punt return that season. He led the Tigers in receiving again in 2021 to receive first-team all-conference notice while also scoring on his only rushing attempt (69 yards) and on a controversial 94-yard punt return.
On Friday, the Steelers selected wide receiver George Pickens from Georgia and DeMarvin Leal, defensive tackle out of Texas A&M, with their second and third picks. They opened the draft Thursday by taking Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick of the first round.
The Steelers have two picks remaining: Round 7 (225 overall, from Jets) and Round 7 (241).
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