{"id":276880,"date":"2026-04-23T21:55:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T01:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=276880"},"modified":"2026-04-23T21:55:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T01:55:24","slug":"eli-heidenreich-2026-nfl-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/23\/eli-heidenreich-2026-nfl-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Eli Heidenreich 2026 NFL Draft Profile\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr. Do It All for Navy the last three seasons, Heidenreich had 7 rushing touchdowns and 16 receiving touchdowns in three seasons of play. He will be a solid contributor on special teams and may be a fit as a slot receiver in the right system. More teams are interested in Heidenreich than are leading on, with his versatility his biggest selling factor.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Eli Heidenreich 2026 NFL Draft Overview<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBEveOkjba\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 2214px; aspect-ratio: 2214\/3312;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\nPosition: Running Back \/ Wide Receiver<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Height: 6\u20190\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weight: 206 pounds<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">School: Navy<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-draft\/profiles\/\" target=\"_self\"><em>More 2026 NFL Draft Profiles<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Eli Heidenreich&#39;s journey from Mt. Lebanon, Navy, takes national stage at NFL combine <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6XuXs2cwvp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/6XuXs2cwvp<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Steelers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Steelers<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Steelers Depot 7\u20e3 (@Steelersdepot) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Steelersdepot\/status\/2027670641755787641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2026 NFL Draft Eli Heidenreich Scouting Report<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Strengths<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Versatile offensive player, rushing for seven touchdowns and collecting 16 receiving touchdowns in three seasons for Navy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consistent performer, no fumbles for the Midshipmen<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Had 169 rushes and 109 receptions in three seasons<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solid hands, doesn\u2019t drop passes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Athleticism score at the NFL Combine was an 82, 4th best for running backs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clocked at 4.44 seconds in the 40 yard dash<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">35.5\u201d vertical jump and 10\u20190 in the broad jump, both above average numbers for a running back<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoothly changes directions, sharp route runner<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Established Navy career records for receiving with 1,994 yards<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Combine tests proved he is more capable as a receiver than he showed at Navy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Eli Heidenreich clocked a 4.47 at the NFL Combine \ud83d\udd25<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EHeidenreich44?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@EHeidenreich44<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NavyFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@NavyFB<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mtlebofootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@mtlebofootball<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/210ths?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@210ths<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfa5: <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nflnetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@nflnetwork<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vYfe3bBHhz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/vYfe3bBHhz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Prospect Media (@prospectmedia_) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/prospectmedia_\/status\/2027816573386281344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Weaknesses\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heidenreich has not shown he can run between the tackles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His frame does not have the room to add much bulk, necessary to take the pounding required of an NFL running back.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scouts note his success at Navy is likely due to the option offense.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doesn\u2019t have high end speed to pressure defensive backs<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lacks the size and speed to be an every down player but may fit as a third down back<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below average burst of speed to escape man to man coverage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Short arm length, 29 \u00bc\u201d\u00a0 makes it difficult to nab throws that are off target<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited passing routes he was asked to run in Navy\u2019s triple option offense make some question his route running abilities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lacks experience in pass blocking<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>NFL Comparison:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/214093-new-york-jets-running-back-danny-woodhead-better-than-advertised\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Danny Woodhead<\/span><\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/prospects\/james-white\/32005748-4924-2257-cf66-816145cac5b1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0James White <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/prospects\/tavon-austin\/32004155-5365-9596-bbdf-d25a79b68eaf\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tavon Austin<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teams With Need At Position: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/ravens\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baltimore Ravens<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bills\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buffalo Bills<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bears\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chicago Bears<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/browns\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleveland Browns<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/cowboys\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dallas Cowboys<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/broncos\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denver Broncos<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/lions\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detroit Lions<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chiefs\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jaguars\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/raiders\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Las Vegas Raiders<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/rams\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles Rams<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/dolphins\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miami Dolphins<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/patriots\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New England Patriots<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/saints\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Orleans Saints<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/seahawks\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seattle Seahawks<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/titans\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tennessee Titans<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington Commanders<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Eli Heidenreich is a RB prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 8.79 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1820 out of 14998 B from 1987 to 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Still awaiting official splits from the Combine, but pro day testing went well.<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZUrzoCsUxD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZUrzoCsUxD<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3qkSMqu6oY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3qkSMqu6oY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; RAS.football (@MathBomb) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MathBomb\/status\/2031890049139146836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Projection:\u00a0<\/strong> Rounds 5-6<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Bottom Line on Eli Heidenreich<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heidenreich excelled as a runner at Navy, mostly on jet sweeps, but likely projects as a slot receiver type in the NFL. Think of a Wes Welker or Julian Edelman type here if he gets in the right system. His size and speed are decent, but what stands out is how he is rarely out of position. In Navy\u2019s system he was asked to do everything and play everywhere, and he did both well. His hands are clean. Pass protection is a concern. Can he help teams as a third down back? Absolutely. He isn\u2019t exactly like Woodhead, but he is undersized, smart, and always falls forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u00a0Teams showing interest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Multiple teams have shown interest in drafting Heidenreich, as a change of pace back, slot receiver, or both. These include the \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/lions\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detroit Lions<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/raiders\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Las Vegas Raiders<\/span><\/a> \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/patriots\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New England Patriots<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington Commanders.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mr. Do It All for Navy the last three seasons, Heidenreich had 7 rushing touchdowns and 16 receiving touchdowns in three seasons of play. He will be a solid contributor on special teams and may be a fit as a slot receiver in the right system. More teams are interested in Heidenreich than are leading [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4925,"featured_media":278863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"<smartframe-embed customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBeLgHZvL6\" style=\"width: 100%;max-width: 3000px;aspect-ratio: 3000\/2328\"><\/smartframe-embed><!-- https:\/\/smartframe.io\/embedding-support -->","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760],"tags":[33533,34652],"class_list":["post-276880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-eli-heidenreich"],"modified_by":"Mike Roberts","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4925"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276880"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278868,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276880\/revisions\/278868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}