Steelers selected Indiana TE Riley Nowakowski with the No. 169 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Nowakowski will enter a tight end room with Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth. He’s unlikely to see consistent playing time behind the veterans. Nowakowski (6’2/250) spent six years in the Big 10, with the first five coming at Wisconsin. He transferred to eventual national champion Indiana for 2025, where he proceeded to nearly double his previous career receptions total. He enters the pros with just 50 grabs across 50 college appearances, though the 32 he posted in 2025 provide hope he could eventually be more than just a blocker. But “just a blocker” is what he is at the moment, and not a particularly big one at that. Built much more like a fullback than tight end, Nowakowski will have to learn to ply his trade on special teams before getting a shot on offense.
