The more you can do, the better chance you have of sticking on the 53-man roster in today’s NFL, especially under Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy.
Fortunately for rookie fifth-round pick Riley Nowakowski, he can wear a number of hats.
The former Indiana product can line up at fullback or tight end and can be a core special teams piece for the Black and Gold. He showed that in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, too.
That has former NFL offensive lineman and current analyst Brian Baldinger buzzing about the Steelers’ rookie.
“Riley Nowakowski, get used to saying the name,” Baldinger said at the end of a highlight clip he posted to X Wednesday night.
Nowakowski played 13 snaps on offense against the Packers, lining up in the backfield as fullback five times, in-line as a tight end six times, and detached in the slot as a move tight end twice. He also added eight snaps on special teams, including two on kickoff coverage, one on kick return, two on punt coverage, and three on punt return, according to Pro Football Focus.
In those 13 offensive snaps, Nowakowski saw two targets in the passing game. He failed to come down with the first target, which came on a play-action rollout from fellow rookie Drew Allar that should have gone for a touchdown. That had Nowakowski upset with himself after the drop.
Fortunately for the do-everything, offensive-weapon rookie, he bounced back in the fourth quarter and made a nice one-handed grab for a touchdown, capping off a strong debut.
Within a deep rookie class, Nowakowski could have a sizable role compared to the rest of the first-year players on the Steelers’ roster. He’s the starter at fullback and can play in-line tight end as well, giving Pittsburgh plenty of versatility on the roster, a buzzword that McCarthy has loved to talk about all offseason long.
He’ll even cover kicks, serve as a blocker on kick and punt returns, and will do just about anything asked of him. He’s a true football player, and that’s what Baldinger was highlighting with the clips on X.
Nowakowski will be worth keeping an eye on moving forward.
