Connor Heyward (born January 22, 1999)[1] is an American professional football tight end and fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State. Heyward is the son of Pro Bowl NFL player Craig Heyward and the younger brother of All-Pro NFL player Cameron Heyward.
 Heyward with Michigan State in 2018 | |||||||||
| No. 83 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end, Fullback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | January 22, 1999 Duluth, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee, Georgia) | ||||||||
| College: | Michigan State (2017–2021) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2022 / round: 6 / pick: 208 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2024 | |||||||||
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Early life
editHeyward grew up in Duluth, Georgia and attended Peachtree Ridge High School.[2]
College career
editHeyward played college football at Michigan State from 2017 to 2021, beginning his college career as a running back.
On November 25, 2017, Heyward recorded his first collegiate touchdown against Rutgers.[3][4]
As a sophomore in 2018, he rushed 118 times for 529 yards and five touchdowns and had 32 catches for 249 yards.[5] After losing his starting position after the first game of the 2019 season to Elijah Collins, Heyward later left the team and entered the NCAA transfer portal.[6] He later returned to the team and redshirted the year.[7] Heyward led the Spartans with 65 carries and had 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns with 18 receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns in the team's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.[8] Prior to the 2021 season, Heyward moved from running back to H-back and tight end.[9] He caught 35 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns in his final season.[10]
College statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2017 | Michigan State | 12 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 7 | 0 |
| 2018 | Michigan State | 13 | 8 | 32 | 249 | 7.8 | 36 | 0 | 118 | 529 | 4.5 | 80 | 5 |
| 2019 | Michigan State | 4 | 1 | 7 | 52 | 7.4 | 15 | 1 | 24 | 79 | 3.3 | 14 | 0 |
| 2020 | Michigan State | 7 | 6 | 18 | 71 | 3.9 | 13 | 2 | 65 | 200 | 3.1 | 14 | 0 |
| 2021 | Michigan State | 13 | 13 | 35 | 326 | 9.3 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 |
| Career | 49 | 28 | 96 | 711 | 7.4 | 36 | 6 | 211 | 825 | 3.9 | 80 | 5 | |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m) |
233 lb (106 kg) |
31+7⁄8 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.72 s | 1.64 s | 2.74 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
18 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Heyward was selected in the sixth round with the 208th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[13]
On December 4, 2022, Heyward scored his first professional touchdown during Week 13 at the Atlanta Falcons, a 17-yard catch, getting both feet inbounds at the back of the end zone.[14] In his rookie season, he appeared in 17 games. He finished with 12 receptions for 151 receiving yards and one touchdown.[15]
NFL career statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | PIT | 17 | 0 | 12 | 151 | 12.6 | 45 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | PIT | 17 | 7 | 23 | 167 | 7.3 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | PIT | 5 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 39 | 9 | 38 | 343 | 9.0 | 45 | 2 | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
editHeyward is the son of Pro Bowl NFL player Craig Heyward. His older brother, Cameron Heyward, is an All-Pro defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.[16] His older brother, Corey Heyward, played college basketball for Georgia Tech.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Connor Heyward – Football". Michigan State University Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Culpepper, Juliakate E. (October 14, 2016). "Tech among options for Peachtree Ridge's Connor Heyward". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Solari, Chris Solari and Chris. "Michigan State football's Connor Heyward gets shot at running back". Lansing State Journal.
- ^ "No. 16 Michigan State Routs Rutgers, 40–7". Michigan State University Athletics. November 25, 2017.
- ^ Wenzel, Matt (April 22, 2019). "Following most carries of his life, Connor Heyward plans on taking over as MSU's No. 1 RB". MLive.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Pouncy, Colton (November 24, 2021). "How Connor Heyward lived up to his family name and rediscovered himself at Michigan State". The Athletic. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Solari, Chris (October 10, 2020). "Michigan State football RB Connor Heyward has 'unfinished business'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Wenzel, Matt (March 22, 2022). "Sticking with Michigan State pays off with NFL opportunity for Connor Heyward". MLive.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Solari, Chris (September 10, 2021). "Michigan State football's Connor Heyward finds his home at TE". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Chengelis, Angelique S. (March 2, 2022). "NFL combine notes: Michigan State's Jalen Nailor, Connor Heyward tout versatility". The Detroit News. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Connor Heyward Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Draft Scout Connor Heyward, Michigan State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Pryor, Brooke (April 30, 2022). "Pittsburgh Steelers take Connor Heyward in Round 6, giving team 4th set of brothers". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons – December 4th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ "Connor Heyward 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ Solari, Chris (July 20, 2017). "NFL bloodlines run through Michigan State's Connor Heyward". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Corey Heyward". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. June 18, 2018.
External links
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