The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted FB/TE hybrid Riley Nowakowski in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. They hoped that the versatile offensive weapon would become a true fullback for head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy’s fullbacks have had sizable roles in his coaching tenures in Green Bay and Dallas, after all.
Boxing him into one position was a mistake, though. It took away his strongest trait: versatility.
Nowakowski had a successful training camp and preseason. He showed his abilities as a tight end, catching a touchdown pass, and he worked out of the backfield as a lead blocker and receiver. Nowakowski’s proficiency raised the bar for his regular-season expectations.
It remains to be seen whether he becomes a move tight end or pass-catching fullback (think Kyle Juszczyk in San Francisco). But Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is excited to see what the rookie brings to the table in the regular season.
“I’m super excited to see what Riley can do. Obviously, coming in, he had a lot of past success in college, and he’s got a really good role in the offense and special teams right now,” Freiermuth said of Nowakowski, according to video via the team’s website. “So I’m excited to see how he can operate. He’s an extremely smart guy.”
Nowakowski finds himself behind Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and veteran Robert Tonyan in the tight end room. But he projects as a pseudo-starter due to his role at fullback, which should put him on the field for probably 10-12 snaps a game.
Expecting him to get consistent touches in the passing game — or even the running game — in those 10-12 snaps seems a bit much. But that won’t limit his impact.
Nowakowski played 47 snaps during the preseason, catching three passes on four targets for 21 yards and a touchdown. He caught the touchdown pass in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers from fellow rookie Drew Allar. The reception showed his ability to get open out of the backfield and highlighted his trustworthy hands.
Nowakowski’s alignment also stood out in the preseason. He had 13 snaps as a fullback, 26 snaps as an in-line tight end, and eight snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus.
That showed Nowakowski’s offensive versatility in McCarthy’s scheme and could be a sign of things to come. Hopefully that shows up in the regular season as it did in college; he played a key role for the Indiana Hoosiers in their national title run.
