The Heywards, Cam and Connor, are now the fourth set of brothers set to join the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room. It became one of the best Day 3 stories of draft weekend. And though Connor has earned his draft spot with an impressive college career, he and Cam joined ESPN’s SportsCenter Tuesday in a conversation that surrounded their sibling rivalry.
By now, you’ve probably heard the story of Connor trolling Cam after being drafted. Refusing to tell Cam which team drafted him and finding out only when Mike Tomlin called. But Cam revealed a prank he pulled on Connor years ago. And it’s a good one.
“I will recall when I was signing my last contract,” Cam told SC’s Jay Harris, “I called Connor that night and I was like, ‘dude, I just got traded. I got traded to Baltimore.’ And he was in shock and he was mad at me.”
Cam, of course, stayed right in Pittsburgh and signed his contract the next day, a four-year pact inked September of 2020. Way back in 2011, the Ravens passed on Heyward, selecting CB Jimmy Smith instead. Pittsburgh selected Heyward four picks later. Smith has turned out to be a pretty good player, but he’s not Heyward. It’s fair to wonder how much the New York Jets, who took DL Muhammad Wilkerson one pick ahead at #30, are kicking themselves right now.
Heyward’s proven to be one of the best draft picks in Kevin Colbert’s history. In fact, he ranks as the fifth-best pick Colbert’s ever made in our soon-to-be released list of Colbert’s draft picks, #1 through #176. We’ll begin posting it next Monday.
Connor Heyward is unlikely to have that type of career, but he’s a competitive, versatile piece who has a solid chance to make the Steelers’ roster. Through all the pranks, there’s brotherly love, and Cam said he’s committed to helping out Connor however he can.
“I’m gonna do whatever I can to make sure he has a successful career. I know he’s got the right mindset. I’ve already taken the papa bear approach with most of my teammates. With him, I gotta make sure I welcome him in and make sure he’s not just a good player, but he is a man of the community. Because that’s what our dad would want.”
Connor becomes the third Heyward to play in the NFL, following the footsteps of his late father Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, who spent 11 years in the league. Cam is heading into his 12th. So history says Connor will prove staying power in the league.
