PITTSBURGH — Cam Heyward is spending NFL Draft week in the city where his pro career began, but not for another night at the podium. On Wednesday, the Steelers veteran was preparing for a Pittsburgh event tied to USAA’s Salute to Service initiative, one that will bring 100 military service members from the greater Pittsburgh area together with him and ’s Mina Kimes.
“I partnered with USAA, and it’s great,” Heyward said, calling the event a chance to show appreciation to the military. “We’re just going to have a chance to talk with them, and answer some questions.” For Heyward, the moment carries personal weight. He said his grandfather served in the Coast Guard and also was in the Reserves, which made the invitation feel like more than another appearance on a busy week.
That week is already set to be one of the biggest on Pittsburgh’s sports calendar. The 2026 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET in the city, and Heyward’s name still carries real influence there. He played four seasons at Ohio State from 2007 through 2010, then went 31st overall to the Steelers in the 2011 draft and built a 15-year career that has put him among the league’s most accomplished defensive linemen.
His résumé is hard to miss: 540 solo tackles, 470 stops, 12 forced fumbles, 107 sacks and 703 total pressures. Heyward has made seven Pro Bowls, earned four First-Team All-Pro selections and won the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. That background matters because when he talks about Ohio State’s next group of defenders, he is not speaking as a detached alumnus. He is speaking as someone who played there, still watches closely and knows what the program looks like when it turns out NFL talent.
Heyward said he saw Caleb Downs three weeks before this story was published while walking around the Ohio State campus. Downs’ mother taught at Heyward’s high school, he said, and the connection gave him a reason to remember the family well. “As a Buckeye, you always go back and watch your team, and you’re proud of what they’ve done throughout the years,” he said. He added that Ohio State defenders are athletic, bring so much, play the game the right way and are difference-makers. “I think they’re going to be that in the next level,” he said.
The wrinkle is that Heyward’s praise arrives as the draft begins in Pittsburgh, where Ohio State’s defensive future is being measured against immediate NFL expectations. The class is being discussed as one that could send three prospects into the first 10 picks and another into the first round, a level of attention that turns every compliment into a scouting report. Heyward even said Caleb Downs already has a head start because of his brother Josh, who plays receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, and his father Gary Downs, a former NFL running back and current athletic trainer. “I will say, he’s very humble, too,” Heyward said.
For a player who has spent his career turning production into credibility, Heyward’s week in Pittsburgh is doing something more specific: pairing a civic event with a football conversation that still has weight because it comes from him. By the time the draft opens Thursday night, the city will be listening for prospects. Heyward, as usual, has already reminded people why his voice still matters.
