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Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II opened up on the team drafting local product and Navy running back Eli Heidenreich.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted very well over the past several decades. It’s how they build six Super Bowl championship teams. Yet, the club drafting Navy running back Eli Heidenreich in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft still stands out.

Steelers president Art Rooney II argued that’s the case in his latest media appearance.

While talking on NFL Network on Wednesday night, Rooney gave the Heidenreich pick a bold superlative.

“The reception he got there in the seventh round was, probably, the greatest seventh-round pick we’ve ever made, for sure,” said Rooney on NFL Network’s The Insiders. “Omar [Khan] and I did talk about it a couple days before [the draft].

“We just said, ‘Look, if the opportunity is there in the seventh round, and Eli [Heidenreich] hasn’t been picked yet, we’re gonna take a hard look at taking him.’ So, glad it worked out the way it did, and we’re excited to have him.”

The title of “greatest seventh-round pick” in Steelers history probably previously belonged to defensive end Brett Keisel. The team landed Keisel at No. 242 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft.

Keisel appeared in 156 games, making 114 starts, over 12 seasons for the Steelers. He was a member of the franchise’s three most recent AFC championship rosters and won two Super Bowls. Keisel also made the Pro Bowl in 2010.

In 2012, the Steelers selected former starting offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum in the seventh round.

At running back, the team landed Dick Hoak in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft. But with fewer teams in that era, Hoak was the No. 90 overall selection.

Hoak played 10 years for the Steelers, making the 1968 Pro Bowl. Hoak went on to become a 5-time Super Bowl champion as Steelers running backs coach.