The Pittsburgh Steelers selected their sixth offensive player in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. That player was Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski at No. 169 overall.
But Nowakowski won’t just play tight end. In fact, it doesn’t sound like tight end will even be his primary position.
Steelers running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. made that clear when he spoke to reporters immediately after the selection Saturday.
“We definitely view Riley as a full back with versatility,” Chinyoung told the media. “As a running backs coach, I would love to work with him. I’m excited to work with him just to get that continuity in the backfield.
“You talk about play style, you talk about strain. He has shown on tape that he has an ability to navigate through the backfield. But the young man plays with grit. And at the end of the day, it’s all about will.”
Nowakowski will join a Steelers tight end room that only has two players with experience — Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. The team also has 2025 undrafted rookie tight end JJ Galbreath on the roster.
But it sounds as though Nowakoski will fill the hole Connor Heyward left behind with his departure this offseason. Heyward lined up in a lot of different spots for the Steelers offense, including fullback and tight end.
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