Emotions ran excessive on Saturday when Pittsburgh native Eli Heidenreich heard his title referred to as within the NFL Draft.
The former Navy working again was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the identical crew he grew up watching as a child.
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Video from backstage exhibits Heidenreich within the inexperienced room, instantly preventing again tears after the announcement.
“It was heartwarming. You know, you can’t make this stuff up,” Bob Palko mentioned.
His former coach mentioned the second was years within the making, pointing to Heidenreich’s self-discipline and character.
“Unbelievable student, but more importantly, an unbelievable person. Just the way he attacked his day,” Palko mentioned. “You know, when it was time for school, it was school. When it was time for sports, it was time for sports.”
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Heidenreich mentioned he had a sense the Steelers have been heading into the draft.
“I definitely had some sort of inkling coming into the draft that the Steelers were interested and I’d potentially be drafted by them,” Heidenreich mentioned throughout his first press convention.
At a bar in Mt. Lebanon, community members watched the second unfold dwell, many celebrating the hometown connection.
“It’s just crazy, I could cry. I was crying, we’ve known Eli since he was in first grade,” one girl mentioned. “Just to have someone who knows the football environment of Pittsburgh to be on there is just so exciting to us.”
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Heidenreich’s journey took him from vast receiver in highschool to working again at Navy and now to the NFL.
“I knew all along a few of those kids that could play,” Palko mentioned. “The kid has earned everything he’s gotten.”
Heidenreich was capable of pursue an expert profession underneath a coverage that enables service academy athletes to delay energetic obligation.
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