The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Our staff weighs in with their thoughts on the pick.
Ryland Bickley: Here’s your TE3/FB for Mike McCarthy. Nowakowski probably would’ve been a “my guy” in this draft class if I had been able to watch him more. He’s an extremely high-effort run blocker with solid mobility who should be able to find a role on offense right away. Nowakowski is a bit undersized for a tight end and his testing is just OK, but as a fullback I like the pick. We can quibble a bit with taking a returner and fullback with the team’s latest two picks, but in the fifth round you can’t complain about good football players. Grade: B+
Mike Nicastro: Nowakowski is a perfect replacement for Connor Heyward because of his versatility. He’ll play tight end, fullback, and can contribute on special teams. He played a pivotal role on Indiana’s National Championship run – the guy just feels like a winner. Although it still feels like a pick based more on need opposed to value, I like this one much better than Wetjen. Grade: B+
Alex Hanczar: Pittsburgh adds yet another big school player in the form of 2026 National Champion Riley Nowakowski. The departures of Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward led many to believe the Steelers would add depth at the position and here it is. Aside from solely playing TE, Nowakowksi will likely fill the Heyward role at the FB position. At 6-foot-two 250 pounds, I would not be surprised to see the former Hoosier lineup under center for the ‘tush push’ for the black and gold. Grade: B
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Joey Bray: Welcome back Connor Heyward. In all seriousness, Riley Nowakowski is an interesting pick for the Steelers. They needed to take another tight end, but Nowakowski is more of a fullback type. He played a blocking role for Indiana last year when he did line up a tight end, although he’s 32 catches last season were more than he had in his previous four collegiate seasons combined. Nowakowski isn’t particularly fast or dynamic and doesn’t have the size to be a legit receiving threat. He is a good football player and it makes sense that Mike McCarthy would take a fullback, but taking a return man and fullback back-to-back in the mid rounds is an curious use of resources. Grade: C-
Ryan Parish: As harsh as I was on using a 4th rounder on a kick returner-only player, I’m to the moon for this selection. I highlighted Nowakowski in my Tight End draft gems list as a perfect fit for the John Kuhn/Hunter Luepke FB role in Mike McCarthy’s offense. Nowakowski is short for a tight end but perfect for a blocker for a power run scheme. He’s also gotta decent hands and tackle-breaking ability for underneath routes that should make Aaron Rodgers happy. This was a meat and potatoes pick, and yet another sign that the Steelers are veering into a gap/power running scheme. Phenomenal fit. Grade: A++
Jarrett Bailey: The Steelers were always going to take a tight end, being that they released Jonnu Smith and didn’t bring back Connor Heyward. Nowakowski will play that Heyward role. Special teams and No. 3 tight end/fullback. Not great. Not abysmal. Fine. Grade: C
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen at the tail end of the 2025 NFL season amidst struggles at the position. Thielen had returned to the Minnesota Vikings in 2025, the team that drafted him for which he carved out a very respectable career before signing with the Carolina Panthers in 2023.
Thielen appeared in five regular season games with the Steelers, catching 11 passes. He joined Good Morning Football on Monday and was asked about his experience in Pittsburgh, to which he couldn’t say enough nice things.
“What an amazing experience,” Thielen said. “First of all, just to experience the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. it was so cool to see it first hand. You hear a lot about it, you play against it, but you don’t really understand it until you get in that building. You just feel the culture and just kind of see how it’s different. It’s a family-owned business and it’s got that family aspect to it that they’re always in the building, they’re always around – it’s a really cool place.”
Thielen then discussed his time with Aaron Rodgers, and praised the four-time MVP for his approach to the game.
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“Being around Aaron, I’ve known him for a long time,” Thielen said. “Played a lot of golf with him, built a strong relationship with him outside of football. But to seem in the building and in practice and his communication and the way he does things and his detail, it really showed me why he’s been so great for so long. A lot of times… you just think, ‘Oh, they’re really skilled…‘ these guys are great and separate themselves because of their process. He treated every single practice like it was the Super Bowl. it was unbelievable to see first hand just how hard he practiced, what it meant to him, how much communication there was through the week of trying to get everybody on the same page – whether that be coaches or players. So it was really cool to see that first hand and get to know him on the football side of things.”
Thielen retired after the 2025 season, finishing his career with 704 catches for 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
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(Pittsburgh, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Pittsburgh reported Friday that a 19-year-old New Castle man was charged for tailgating following a two-vehicle crash in Pittsburgh on May 11th.
Christopher Glidden Jr. was driving on Interstate 376 West near the Boulevard of the Allies ramp at about 5:23 p.m. when he rear-ended a vehicle driven by 32-year-old Kimberly Brooks of Pittsburgh, according to police.
Police said both drivers were attempting to merge into the left lane at the time of the crash. Brooks suffered a suspected minor injury and was transported from the scene.
Morgan Wallen has made plenty of headlines in recent days, but he’s been forced to speak out about “nonsense” rumours after cancelling a recent show.
The singer, 33, addressed why he cancelled his Pittsburgh show over the weekend on his Instagram stories on Sunday, days after his mid-performance meltdown.
Country singer Morgan Wallen has hit back at the ‘nonsense’ surrounding his recently cancelled show in Pittsburgh due to wind. Instagram/@morganwallen
“This morning, my team walked on the bus and told me they had been consulting with local officials and that I should cancel my show in Pittsburgh tonight and I said, ‘Why?’” the country singer explained.
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“They said that there was going to be strong winds in the area, and I said, ‘OK.’ So, that is what I did in that moment, and I trusted my team.”
Wallen said that he was aware that the forecasted winds hadn’t hit Pittsburg, but had hit nearby areas in Pennsylvania, which was a big reason why they made the call to cancel.
“The truth of the matter is, I have a large stage that, in those conditions, could become fatal to a lot of folks around it. So, I did the best I could with the information I had in that moment,” he continued.
Wallen then hit back at rumours that have been swirling around because he wanted to clear the air.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of nonsense about me that is simply not true, and I just wanted to clear the air,” he continued.
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“I think my true fans know that that’s not how I operate in general, but I had to say it.”
Wallen’s video came hours after it was announced that the second Pittsburgh show of his Still The Problem Tour was cancelled.
“After talking with local officials and my team, there is no choice but to cancel tonight’s show due to severe adverse weather conditions expected throughout the rest of the day and night,” he wrote online.
“Safety for my fans and crew is the highest priority.”
Wallen added that refunds would also be available for ticket holders.
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The singer’s stadium tour will continue until August 1. Getty
But fans were not impressed and plenty of people slammed him for cancelling the show, even though the weather had reportedly cleared before he would have hit the stage.
Wallen made headlines earlier this month after an on-stage meltdown when he experienced issues with his piano on stage, flipping it and breaking it in front of the audience.
The country singer was mid-song when the piano malfunctioned, so he pushed it, flipping it. Instagram/@countrycentral
He was performing the hit Sand In My Boots when the tech issue started and decided to push it over.
The audience gasped as the piano seemingly broke, before the singer walked off and continued the song a cappella.
