At this point in his career, Cameron Heyward shouldn’t be playing at this high of a level. The fact that he continues to be a force for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the trenches entering Year 16 is a testament to his hard work, preparation, and overall skill set.
He’s consistently one of the best players at his position year after year.
That production and longevity will go a long way when it comes time for Hall of Fame voters to determine if he’s worthy of enshrinement into Canton.
For now, though, he remains one of the best-ever draft values along the interior defensive line. In a piece ranking the five best draft values of the millennium, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm ranked Heyward fourth behind only Los Angeles’ Aaron Donald, Cincinnati’s Geno Atkins, and Kansas City’s Chris Jones.
Donald was selected 13th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and might be the best defensive player ever. Atkins was drafted in the fourth round at No. 120 overall in the 2010 Draft, and Jones was selected in the second round at No. 37 overall in 2016.
As for Heyward, landing at No. 31 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft put him in a great spot in Pittsburgh.
“Five interior defensive linemen were drafted before Heyward, who took a little while to exert his dominance,” Edholm writes of Heyward. “But once he did, there have been few comparable defensive linemen on his plateau. After missing more than half the 2016 season with hamstring and pectoral injuries, he bounced back in 2017 by being named first-team All-Pro — the first of his four placements on that team.”
Coming out of Ohio State in the 2011 NFL Draft, Heyward was dealing with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. Despite that injury, Heyward had an outstanding college career. He finished with 163 tackles, 37.5 tackles for loss, and 15.5 sacks in 52 career games at Ohio State, and led the Buckeyes to a 2011 Sugar Bowl win against Arkansas.
But that elbow injury caused him to drop, and he fell right into the lap of the Steelers, who were already loaded along the defensive line coming out of Super Bowl XLV. Here are the four defensive tackles taken before Heyward in the 2011 NFL Draft: Marcell Dareus, Nick Fairley, Corey Luiget, Phil Taylor.
Heyward joined a room featuring Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel, and former first-round pick Ziggy Hood. He got off to a slow start and didn’t become a starter until 2013, but he took off once he was in the lineup.
Since 2013, Heyward has four first-team All-Pros, one second-team All-Pro, and seven trips to the Pro Bowl, including six straight years from 2017-2022.
He also sits second in Steelers franchise history in sacks with 88.5 and counting, and has solidified his Hall of Fame case.
“His longevity and production are major hallmarks in what has been a brilliant career so far,” Edholm added regarding Heyward.
The fact that he’s still doing it at this age is remarkable. Many executives, scouts, and coaches seem to believe that the inevitable decline will eventually hit, but Heyward has shown no signs of slowing down. While he had a tough 2023 season marred by injuries, when he was healthy last season, Heyward reminded many of his dominance.
Power is still a huge part of his game, and he won’t be losing that anytime soon.
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