Imagine being mid-round on the golf course, wedge in hand, just trying to keep your score respectable… and then your phone rings and it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers telling you they’re drafting you.
That was reality for former Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wetjen this weekend.
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Kaden Wetjen of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Feb. 28, 2026. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Wetjen was out at Stone Creek Golf Club near Iowa’s campus, playing a casual round with his girlfriend, Rachel Bierman, and friends when the moment hit. According to the video Bierman posted, he was on the eighth hole when Pittsburgh called to say they were taking him with the No. 121 overall pick in the fourth round.
Not exactly your typical draft party setup.
Bierman captured the moment as Wetjen stood near the green, casually holding a wedge while taking the call — a scene that somehow makes getting drafted to the NFL feel like just another Saturday afternoon.
“Hole 8, Round 4, Pick 121 – a moment we will remember forever,” she wrote.
From there, the group paused the round and pulled up a livestream to watch the pick come through officially.
“I didn’t shank it into the pond after I got picked so everything’s going good,” Wetjen said.
The golf course moment is fun, but Wetjen’s path to that call is just as interesting.
He started his career at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to Iowa in 2022.
While his receiving numbers never jumped off the page — he totaled 23 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown in his FBS career — he made his mark on special teams.
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In 2024, he led the nation with 727 kick return yards and took both a kickoff and a punt back for touchdowns.
Then in his final season, he doubled down. Wetjen led the nation in punt return yards (563), averaged 26.8 yards per return and scored three punt return touchdowns. By the time he left Iowa, Wetjen had piled up 1,538 kick return yards and 954 punt return yards, with six total return touchdowns.
Wide receiver Kaden Wtjen of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs back a punt return for a touchdown in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
“He plays the game fearlessly, but he plays it smart,” Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said, per the Steelers website. “Our top rated dual return player, and in this new dynamic kickoff age of the National Football League, to have a guy that’s in our opinion very good at both, we think it’s going to be a major addition and pay dividends for the club.”
Kaden Wetjen of the Iowa Hawkeyes returns a kick against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium in College Park, Md., on Nov. 23, 2024. (G Fiume/Getty Images)
And just in case you were wondering, Wetjen didn’t finish that round of golf.
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“No, we’re going back to party now!” he told reporters on a phone call.
Hard to blame the guy there.
