Riley Nowakowski with the Pittsburgh Steelers, 2026
With the Pittsburgh Steelers, 2026. Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tight end, Indiana (from Wisconsin), 2020–⁠25

Riley Nowakowski

Number
No. 37
Height
6′2″
Weight
243 lb
Class (2025)
Senior
Hometown
Milwaukee, WI
Born
Jun 30, 2002

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Riley Nowakowski played tight end at Wisconsin (2020–⁠24) and Indiana (2025). The Pittsburgh Steelers took Nowakowski in round 5, No. 169 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
387
Receiving yards, 2025 (Indiana, 16–⁠0)
Drafted
No. 169
Round 5, 2026 NFL Draft (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Honors

Team titles: National champions, 2025 (Indiana); Big Ten champions, 2025

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2023Wisconsin7578.1123
2024Wisconsin11746.7015
2025Indiana3238712.1243
Career5051810.4343

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2020Wisconsin37TEYr 1
2021Wisconsin37TEYr 2
2022Wisconsin37TEYr 3
2023Wisconsin37TEYr 4
2024Wisconsin37TEYr 5
2025Indiana37TESr. (Yr 6)6′2″243

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2023Wisconsin90.48––4.3–
2024Wisconsin110.31––3.4–
2025Indiana390.6985th (n=1040)0.4626.94%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2025 Indiana 14 games, 32 catches, 387 yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Aug 30vs.Old DominionW 27–⁠1421509–
Sep 6vs.Kennesaw StateW 56–⁠91140141
Sep 20vs.IllinoisW 63–⁠10143143–
Sep 27atIowaW 20–⁠151404–
Oct 11atOregonW 30–⁠2031106–
Oct 18vs.Michigan StateW 38–⁠13354039–
Oct 25vs.UCLAW 56–⁠631706–
Nov 1atMarylandW 55–⁠10222019–
Nov 8atPenn StateW 27–⁠24351029–
Nov 15vs.WisconsinW 31–⁠7465137–
Dec 6vs.Ohio StateW 13–⁠10220011–
Jan 1 ✦vs.AlabamaW 38–⁠3336031–
Jan 9 ✦vs.OregonW 56–⁠22218013–
Jan 19 ✦vs.MiamiW 27–⁠21217091
2024 Wisconsin 7 games, 11 catches, 74 yards
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Aug 30vs.Western MichiganW 28–⁠14222013–
Sep 28atUSCL 21–⁠381909–
Oct 5vs.PurdueW 52–⁠6221015–
Oct 12atRutgersW 42–⁠72403–
Oct 26vs.Penn StateL 13–⁠281808–
Nov 2atIowaL 10–⁠422201–
Nov 23atNebraskaL 25–⁠441808–
2023 Wisconsin 5 games, 7 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Oct 21atIllinoisW 25–⁠21114014–
Nov 4atIndianaL 14–⁠20231023–
Nov 11vs.NorthwesternL 10–⁠241505–
Nov 25atMinnesotaW 28–⁠142615–
Jan 1 ✦vs.LSUL 31–⁠351101–
2020 Wisconsin 1 game, 1 tackle
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Oct 23vs.IllinoisW 45–⁠7–––––

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2026Combine or pro day 2026
Height6′2¼″
Weight250 lb
Arm length31½″
Hand size8¾″
Wingspan77¼″W
40-yard dash4.66 s
10-yard split1.70 s
Vertical jump33½″
Broad jump9′11″
3-cone drill7.43 sW
20-yard shuttle4.61 sW

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

1 season, 2 games with a stat; latest team: Pittsburgh Steelers.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2026 (so far)Pittsburgh Steelers2000

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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