Steelers tight end Connor Heyward earned the highest grade for tight ends in Week 5 from Pro Football Focus. Heyward’s 81.4 grade is the best for any tight end, with more than 25 snaps weekly. All around, his grades were typically above average, with his receiving grade coming in at 75.0 and his blocking grade coming in at 75.1.
Heyward is the Steelers’ do-it-all player. So far this season, he has logged snaps not just at tight end but at fullback, H-back, flexed-out tight end, and even running back. The team has looked to get him onto the field and create mismatches. Over the last few games, Heyward has popped up as a receiver in the out-of-structure game throughout the last few games. He is starting to showcase that he can win over the middle of the field and find those soft zones.
Heyward made significant strides throughout that rookie season. He played just one snap of offense in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. But by the end of the season, he was a trusted part of the offense. He scored his first touchdown in Atlanta in Week 12, had a 21-yard, game-sealing carry against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15, and caught three passes in the season’s final game against the Cleveland Browns.
There’s a reason that he’s played so many positions. Heyward doesn’t have the height of a traditional tight end, with his 5-foot-11 1/8 measurement at the combine scoring a 0.01 out of 10 on the Relative Athletic Score matrix. But Heyward has above-average speed, is a solid ball carrier, and has excellent hands. It’s an exciting and unusual combination of skills, but that’s part of the reason that he played two positions in college and fell into the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
In his second season, the team has embraced the player that has proven himself to be. Heyward hopes to continue that ascension throughout the rest of the season.