Steelers' Riley Nowakowski: Catches pass in preseason finale
Rotowire
Nowakowski caught one of two targets for seven yards in Thursday's 28-27 preseason loss to the Bills.
The 2026 fifth-round pick was on the other end of the first pass attempt of the night from Will Howard (head), as Nowakowski worked with the first-team offense in the absence of the Steelers' regular starters. While he was purely a tight end in college, the Steelers are viewing Nowakowski as more of a hybrid fullback/TE, and that versatility could help him land a spot on the Week 1 roster.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Riley Nowakowski: Picked by Pittsburgh
Rotowire
The Steelers selected Nowakowski in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 169th overall.
Nowakowski (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) was a standout tight end at Indiana and before that Wisconsin, and with this selection the Steelers might have picked Nowakowski to be their replacement for Connor Heyward, who left for the Raiders in free agency. Nowakowski looks more like a fullback than a tight end, and if he's replacing Heyward then the Steelers might have concluded the same thing.
