Sometimes when the Steelers draft a player, the reasoning is self-evident. However, at other times you question what they were thinking.
In the 2022 draft, all of the Steelers picks fill specific team-based needs; however, there was the Connor Heyward selection. Any new player coming to an NFL team brings their own particular skillset and helps their new team with what they bring to the table.
While Heyward has some versatility, with his selection, you have to wonder to a degree how the Steelers even plan to utilize Heyward. At Michigan State, he played multiple positions, including fullback and tight end. However, here is where things get a little hazy as to how he may benefit his new team.
Conner Heyward is 6’0” and weighs 230 pounds. He is no a small kid, yet, for a tight end in the NFL, that is slightly undersized. Pat Freiermuth is 6’5” and 285 pounds. Former tight end Heath Miller was 6’5” and 256 pounds. Even Zach Gentry stands 6’8” and 265 pounds. It’s hard to see how productive Heyward would be in the tight-end role, considering he is slightly undersized than his teammates in the same position.
Granted, in any position, size is not everything. You can always find exceptions to that. For example, Doug Flutie had some mild success as a quarterback in the NFL after eight seasons in the CFL despite only being 5’10”. The problem in Connor’s case has nothing to do with his abilities as a receiver.
Sometimes many wide receivers are much smaller than Connor, so in that sense, Connor’s size is not an issue. However, in the tight-end, role blocking on the offensive line is crucial, and this is where Connor’s lack of size could hurt his abilities in that role. Considering the Steelers depth at this position, it would make one wonder if they ever use him in that role.
When the Steelers drafted Heyward, tight End coach Alfredo Roberts stated Connor would start as a tight end. However, they might utilize him as an H-back in certain tight-end formations. Not a commonly run tight end formation in the NFL, it is one that the Steelers might employ in a Matt Canada style offense.
So if the Steelers do not use him as a tight end, do they use him as a fullback then? Using him in this capacity makes the most sense for his skill set. However, one still has to wonder. The tape of Heyward shows that when called on, he can catch the ball and is a good outlet receiver. The question then is would the Steelers utilize him in that role?
Look at Derek Watt in two seasons with the Steelers; he has a total of one rush for one yard and three receptions for 15 yards. Sure he was injured in 2020 and missed part of the season; however, they still rarely utilized him when fully healthy in 2021.
Would this change with Connor? Is Connor’s abilities as a receiver good enough that Mat Canada would design his offensive plays to utilize the fullback more often? It seems unlikely, yet perhaps it is possible.
Here is the most likely way the Steelers will utilize Heyward, and it would be similar to how they utilize Derek Watt. With his flexibility, you would expect to see him as a blocker in punt formations, as a blocker on kick returns or on kick-offs. The Steelers may primarily use him for special teams.
So While he has versatility and apparent pass-catching ability, this could be a situation where he may only have limited opportunities to showcase his talent beyond that as a blocker on special teams. Perhaps once he goes out and demonstrates what he can do, that may change, but it seems doubtful you will hear his name called in the offensive play selections often. It could prove interesting, though, if it does.