Apr 30, 2011 By Mike Ciarochi 3 min read

?PITTSBURGH — When it comes to having dreams come true, Cameron Heyward hit the mother load late Thursday night.

He became a first-round draft choice into the NFL after a stellar four-year career at Ohio State.

That was the good news.

The better news was that is was the Pittsburgh Steelers who picked him.

“I wanted to go to Pittsburgh so bad,” Heyward said.

Heyward, of course, is the son of the late Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, who was a great running back at Pitt and in the NFL. There is also the Ohio State connection, with Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau actually helping Ohio State coaches implement parts of his zone blitzing schemes into the Buckeyes defense.

“I was born here,” Heyward said. “My dad played here. He met my mother in Pittsburgh. All of my family is basically here. Just getting a chance to play here is like coming home. It’s an unbelievable opportunity.

His family connections were a big part of why he wanted to come to the Steelers, but there was more to it than that.

“The Steelers have always been what I wanted. My mom came up to me and said that my dad was up in heaven working something out. But I think my game and the way I was brought up, I am perfect for it. I understand the landscape. I understand what great tradition goes along with this, that great loyalty with the Rooneys. All of this tradition is great and coming from Ohio State, where there is a lot of tradition, too, makes it even more natural for me.”

Heyward went on to mention most of the Steelers defensive linemen and several other players on his new team. He mentioned that he got a call from Hines Ward, who congratulated him between “Dancing with the Stars” practice sessions.

“Unbelievable,” Heyward said. “It just shows how much of a class act he is.”

Heyward admitted that he hadn’t seen an episode of the TV show. “But I’m going to start,” he added.

Heyward said he had heard from his mother and his Ohio State position coach that the Steelers were going to draft him if he was still available with the 31st pick, but he kept himself from believing it. Instead, he sat patiently in front of a television and watched the draft unfold.

“I saw all of these teams coming up to pick and all I was looking to do was look at my phone and say, don’t ring until the Steelers pick me,” Heyward said. “Luckily, it worked out. It’s a funny story because the Jets were picking and I knew they had their pick in. The phone rang and they hadn’t announced that Pittsburgh was about to pick, so I got nervous. My agent said it was a Pittsburgh number. I said thank God. I am just very thankful.

“The chance to come back home and play for this team is a great honor. It’s a great chance for me to compete with these guys and get better. I’ll be learning from guys like Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith and Ziggy Hood. I look forward to taking knowledge from those guys, guys who have been here.”

Heyward is ready, willing and able to add to the Steelers tradition, just like he did at Ohio State.