The Navy Midshipmen don’t typically send many players to the NFL, so when they have two players selected in the same draft, it gets people talking.
The Cincinnati Bengals picked Navy defensive tackle Landon Robinson with the 226th overall pick in Round 7, and the Pittsburgh Steelers took his teammate, running back Eli Heidenreich, just four picks later — breaking a longstanding streak for the school.
“Navy’s Landon Robinson and Eli Heidenreich were both drafted in the 7th round ⚓ This is the first time that two Navy players were taken in the NFL draft since 1956 👏,” the NFL announced on X.
Heidenreich, who’s been compared to San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, is a dual-threat running back/receiver.
In three years with Navy, he totaled 1,157 yards rushing and even touchdowns, and he added 109 catches, 1,994 yards, and 16 more scores. He posted career highs last season in rushing yards (499), receptions (51), receiving yards (941), and receiving touchdowns (six).
Conversely, Robinson was an athletic cog in the middle of Navy’s defense. He totaled 153 tackles, 14.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in three seasons.
Thanks to a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act, players in the military can defer their mandatory military service to pursue a career in professional sports.
Robinson and Heidenreich will presumably enter into a 10-year service contract, which will allow for an active duty deferment while they pursue their NFL careers. Once they’re no longer actively playing the NFL, both players will begin their military service agreements.
Up to five members of each service academy — Air Force, Army, Navy — can defer their active duty for professional sports careers.
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