The Pittsburgh Steelers have always had great defensive players for the rookies and young players to learn from, but it’s a little different when that player is Cam Heyward. The Steelers’ all-time leader in games played by a defensive player, he has more than a thing or two to pass down to young players. Better yet, he is more than willing to play the role of a mentor.
Until the 2025 NFL Draft, the only defensive linemen taken over the first two days since Heyward was picked in 2011 were Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave and Keeanu Benton. That is a perfect track record in terms of drafting and developing top-end DL talent. One of the common denominators in that impressive track record is Heyward.
“I say sometimes it’s a cheat code with Cam. He been in the league 15 years,” Keeanu Benton said via The Money Down Podcast. “He a great personable guy and it’s easy to not be humble when you got a status like he does. And he makes sure to make time for the young bucks and you can really tell it’s bigger than football with him.”
Heyward has seen everything there is to see in the NFL as he’s matched up against some of the all-time great offensive linemen. As a base defensive end in the Steelers’ system, he knows how to play out in more space, but he also plays over 50 percent of his snaps aligned over guards. That gives him the expertise to help coach up anybody in the Steelers’ defensive line room.
There is a reason that Heyward has been a defensive captain for 10 consecutive years, a feat only accomplished by two other Steelers in team history. He not only plays at a Hall of Fame level on the field, but he’s a Hall of Fame teammate in the locker room, too.
“Sharing his recovery habits with me. Basically everybody he work with, I work with,” Benton said. “His Pilates instructor, his masseuse, active release therapist. I’ve worked with all of them, and he’s just basically told me how to keep up with it. Kind of steal his schedule a little bit, just figuring out what works for me. I think he helped me off the field a lot for sure.”
For Benton, having a mentor like Heyward has likely accelerated his NFL learning curve by years.
I think it was telling that Benton, as a second-year player, was already seen getting up in front of the meeting room and addressing the entire defense on HBO’s Hard Knocks. That’s the other benefit of spending a lot of time around somebody like Heyward. If you pay enough attention, he can teach you how to be a good player and a good leader.
With the 2025 draft class having a pair of defensive linemen, including Derrick Harmon, the only first-round pick at the position since Heyward in 2011, the Steelers are entering the perfect situation with Heyward still on the roster. Just as Heyward learned from guys like Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton, Harmon and Yahya Black now have the opportunity to grab the torch and carry it into the next generation of the Steelers’ d-line.
Heyward’s contract runs through 2026, and he is showing no signs of slowing down after another All-Pro season in 2024. The incoming rookies should get at least two years to absorb as much as they can from the cheat code that is Cameron Heyward.
The Steelers didn’t just draft talent this year—they drafted talent with a mentor baked in. The importance of that can’t be overstated.
