As a lifelong Pittsburgher who proudly grew up a Steelers fan, rookie running back Eli Heidenreich figured he could show his fellow newcomers around the city as well as anyone. He had the idea to host a rookie dinner at his family’s home in Mt. Lebanon before they went their separate ways ahead of training camp
David Heidenreich, Eli’s dad, was on board immediately and happy to help. Then he and his wife Tara looked at each other and thought, “What are we going to cook?” for more than a dozen professional athletes
But they went ahead with the plan anyway, hosting all 10 draft picks plus a few undrafted free agents in early June, as the young Steelers wrapped up OTAs. Much like they’d do for a family Christmas dinner, the Heidenreichs cooked up a whole spread that featured filet mignon, backed up by chicken, accompanied by cheesy potatoes, vegetables and more
“I knew I wanted to have the guys over for something,” Eli said. “I think I learned at Navy how important having a strong team is, and whatever way I could do that, I wanted to do it. I figured that would be the best way. It’s only a 20-minute drive or so from the facility. My dad went out and bought an unbelievable amount of food.”
Eli sent out a group text with the invite and wasn’t sure who all would take the time to make the trip down to the suburbs. Everyone did
Quarterback Drew Allar called it “really fun” to have a team bonding trip that tied together family and football. He acknowledged that a number of veterans have taken him under their wing, but wants this large rookie class to be tightly connected
“Eli has a great family and it was really gracious of them to host us,” Allar said. “They cooked some absolutely great food. I think that’s the type of thing we need to do. It’s a great culture and something I’m very appreciative of.”
Allar also got his first taste of strawberry pretzel salad, a classic Western Pennsylvania cookout dessert. Cornerback Daylen Everette grew up in Norfolk, Va., and played his college ball at Georgia, so he’s not exactly familiar with where he landed in the NFL
But that’s nothing compared to someone like first-round pick Max Iheanachor, a Nigeria native by way of Los Angeles. Or second-rounder Germie Bernard, who’s from Las Vegas and spent the past two years at Alabama
“A lot of us, we’re not from anywhere nearby,” Everett said. “It’s a good feeling to have someone out here that pretty much made us feel at home. It was definitely a great experience for us to break bread with each other.”
The Steelers selecting Heidenreich in the seventh round, in his hometown no less, was an epic moment of draft weekend. His walk out to the stage went viral, generating as much engagement as any other social media post across the NFL those three days
Heidenreich has been a popular post-practice player, too, in his first training camp. He has signed countless autographs, including one Friday for a fan who printed out a photo of him in sixth grade and brought it to Saint Vincent
“I did not know them,” Heidenreich said with a grin. “I think they went to the same middle school or go to the same middle school that I attended, so I absolutely went over there and signed that for them. That was pretty funny.”
But amid all the attention, Heidenreich isn’t forgetting his roots. And now many of his new teammates know firsthand exactly where it all began for him
“They got a slice of Pittsburgh,” David Heidenreich said of the rookie gathering. “They played cornhole in the backyard, we had some music going, got a fire rolling that night, and they just hung out. Really a great group of boys, super humble, and I’m super impressed with all of them.”
