The Pittsburgh Steelers added to their tight end room via the 2022 NFL Draft. The Steelers selected TE/FB/H-Back Connor Heyward in the sixth round during this past draft cycle. Heyward has shown that he's just a pure football player during training camp in Latrobe thus far. He's taken snaps mostly at the TE position and has impressed in the Steelers training camp practices. The Steelers do-it-all rookie played well in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks last Saturday, but he only caught 2 passes for 24 yards. He did, however, score on a two-point conversion. In fact, rookie QB Kenny Pickett requested Heyward to come in on the successful attempt.
Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Our very own, Brandon James Wallace has surely been impressed by Cam Heyward's little brother as he's been keeping us up to date with all things in Latrobe!
Everyday I’m more and more impressed with Connor Heyward. Kid is super athletic and catches absolutely everything. #HereWeGo
— B-Wall (@BWall) August 8, 2022
Heyward may seem like a lock, but that doesn't mean he's going to get complacent. He's striving to do everything he can to get better with each given day. The transition from college to the NFL can be difficult, but Heyward is getting there.
"I would say from a conditioning standpoint I have gotten in better condition with all of the special teams, all of the offense, going from each team period to the next," stated Heyward via Steelers.com. "My conditioning overall is better. Coach [Mike] Tomlin always talks about us being used on offense and defense in college, but I played special teams in college. The game is so much faster now, so you always have to be ready to go 100%.""Each day I continue to get better, mentally and physically," continued Heyward. "Just being able to go out there and work and push myself. A lot of it was getting the details down. I knew what to do, but still trying to perfect that every day. Coach Fredo [Alfredo Roberts] and the tight ends have done a good job."
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end/full back Connor Heyward (83), tight end Zach Gentry (81), tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) and safety Miles Killebrew (28) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Aug.13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Heyward is taking every day in stride and he's learning from the fellow tight ends in the room!
"I love working with Pat [Freiermuth], Zach [Gentry] and the other guys," Heyward stated. "Fredo is a really good coach. He understands us. He understands how to have fun. But we are here for our job and at the end of the day, it's business. We all know that."
"Our tight end room is really strong. Everybody has a really good relationship. We don't care who is out there, we just want that guy to make the play. Whether it's a block, catch, little things. Every play we want to do our job."
Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Heyward is already proven to be a better commodity than a lot of fans realized when the Steelers drafted him. He's fighting every day to solidify a spot on the team's 53-man roster. By his impressive showing during camp, he may already have a spot locked down. Can he continue to build on an impressive training camp by displaying more in the passing game in the Steelers' second preseason game of 2022?
What are yinz thoughts on the Steelers tight end, Connor Heyward? Will he be able to showcase a little more of his receiving skill set in this Saturday's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars? Let us know in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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