Michigan State tight end Connor Heyward catches for a touchdown against Pittsburgh defensive lineman Deslin Alexandre during the second half of the 31-21 win over Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.

If you hear a football player talk about his team long enough, chances are that you’ll hear him refer to them as a family. The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking that to a literal level.

In the sixth round of the NFL Draft, the Steelers selected Michigan State’s Connor Heyward. Heyward is the younger brother of defensive tackle Cam Heyward.

Having one pair of brothers on a team is notable. It’s not unprecedented but it’s far from common — at least for most teams. For the Steelers, it’s kind of another day at the office.

Because, as Nick Farabaugh of PHG Sports noted shortly after Heyward was drafted, the Cam and Connor are now the fourth pair of brothers on Pittsburgh’s roster.

NFL fans loved the quirkiness of it all.

Someone else who loved it was Cam, who seemed excited about his new teammate and possibly roommate.

Though, younger brother is apparently less than enthused with that idea.

What’s interesting now is that the younger Heyward could end up battling for a roster spot with Derek Watt, as the two play the same position and most teams don’t carry two fullbacks. But given their commitment to making it a family affair in Pittsburgh, we can say that if any team can make it work, it’s the Steelers.

[Nick Farabaugh, Steelers Depot]

About Michael Dixon

About Michael:
-- Writer/editor for thecomeback.com and awfulannouncing.com.
-- Bay Area born and raised, currently living in the Indianapolis area.
-- Twitter:
@mfdixon1985 (personal).
@michaeldixonsports (work).
-- Email: mdixon@thecomeback.com
Send tips, corrections, comments and (respectful) disagreements to that email. Do the same with pizza recommendations, taco recommendations and Seinfeld quotes.