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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on Drafting Connor Heyward

It's not the bloodline the Pittsburgh Steelers like in Connor Heyward.

Noah Strackbein

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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Connor Heyward in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, creating four groups of brothers within the locker room. But being Cam Heyward's sibling isn't why Heyward ended up in black and gold. 

"Cam just happens to be his big brother," head coach Mike Tomlin said on Heyward. "I say that and I mean it. Connor's resume speaks for itself. He's a Swiss army knife. He's very talented. He has a nice skillset. He's a capable runner, he's very good in terms of the screen game, timing and feel. He made some plays down the field as a tight end in that offense. He's a physical guy.

"We imagine he'll be an offensive contributor and teams. He was very worthy of that consideration."

Tomlin now has T.J. Watt and Derek Watt, Terrell and Trey Edmunds, Khalil and Carlos Davis, and the Heywards on his roster. It isn't keeping it in the family that attracts him, though. 

"We value the intangible quality," Tomlin said, making it known each player is there on their own merit. "When you're doing business with one, it probably gives you an idea of the intangible quality of the other."

Even when they made the selection, Cam was made sure to be left out. Although he was pretty interested in seeing if the Steelers grabbed his brother, Heyward made sure he was the last to know. 

"It was none of Cam's business," Tomlin said. 

But the head coach made sure to call his defensive captain after he hung-up with his little brother and newest Pittsburgh Steeler.

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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