The Steelers selected Nowakowski in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 169th overall.
Nowakowski (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) was a standout tight end at Indiana and before that Wisconsin, and with this selection the Steelers might have picked Nowakowski to be their replacement for Connor Heyward, who left for the Raiders in free agency. Nowakowski looks more like a fullback than a tight end, and if he's replacing Heyward then the Steelers might have concluded the same thing.