PFF: Cameron Heyward ranked as 19th best player in the NFL

Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has been a steady contributor throughout his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being drafted with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Over the past few seasons, though, Heyward has come into his own and truly become one of the best players in the entire league.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 50 players in the NFL entering the 2022 season, and Heyward found himself ranked pretty highly on the list. PFF listed Heyward as the No. 19 overall player in the NFL.

“Playing on the interior of the defensive line in today’s NFL leads to unwinnable comparisons to Aaron Donald, but Heyward is consistently in the battle for the best non-Donald performances in the league,” PFF wrote. “Last season, he was the only other interior player who posted a 90.0-plus grade, and he notched 61 pressures as he continues to play his best football deep into his career. Heyward has recorded at least 60 pressures for three straight seasons.”

Heyward isn’t the only Steelers star to crack PFF’s top 50. Defensive lineman T.J. Watt comes in at No. 7 as well, giving Pittsburgh two true stars on its defensive front wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.

Heyward is coming off of one of his best years yet with the Steelers

Since entering the league in 2011, Heyward has been a solid and steady contributor. He had two consecutive seasons with at least seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2014 and 2015 before being limited to just seven games in 2016.

Heyward returned in full force for the Steelers in 2017, and he hasn’t looked back since. Over the past five seasons, Heyward has totaled 322 tackles with 59 tackles for loss, 99 quarterback hits, 43 sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 24 passes defended.

Overall, Heyward has totaled 540 tackles with 101 tackles for loss, 153 quarterback hits, 68 sacks, seven forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, 42 passes defended and two interceptions in his 11-year NFL career.

Interestingly, the Steelers drafted Heyward’s younger brother, Connor Heyward, in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was taken in the sixth round, and will now join Cameron in Pittsburgh. That added excitement just adds to the fire that Heyward will have under him in 2022.

“If he’s drafted by the Steelers, all hell’s gonna break loose,” joked Heyward. “I’m gonna have a lot of fun with him. And my mom’s gonna hate me for that — but if he did, I would be very excited.”