| No. 10 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Wide receiver, return specialist |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2002-03-09) March 9, 2002 Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Iowa) |
| College |
|
| NFL draft | 2026: 4th round, 121st overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Kaden Derek Wetjen (born March 9, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Western Reivers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Early life
In high school, at Williamsburg Iowa High School, Wetjen ran track and was a three-year football letterman as a running back, wide receiver and defensive back.[1][2] As a senior, he scored 31 touchdowns and had six interceptions on defense.[3] He also earned first-team all-state honors.[4]
College career
After graduating from high school, Wetjen attended Iowa Western Community College where he continued to play football as a wide receiver.[5] After two seasons at Iowa Western, Wetjen entered the transfer portal. He eventually opted to walk-on at Iowa over offers at several smaller schools.[6]
During his first season with the Hawkeyes, he didn't appear in a game.[7] The next season, Wetjen led Iowa in kickoff-return yardage and took over punt return duties after a season-ending injury to Cooper DeJean.[8]
After the 2024 season, Wetjen was named the winner of the Jet Award as the nation's top return specialist.[9] He was recognized after leading the FBS in kickoff return yards and coming second in punt return yards, including a 100 yard kickoff return touchdown and an 85 yard punt return touchdown.[10]
Prior to the 2025 season, Wetjen was placed on scholarship by the Hawkeyes.[7]
In 2025, during his final season at Iowa, Wetjen had one kickoff return for a touchdown and three punt return touchdowns to break Tim Dwight's school record for return touchdowns in a career (6). He was named Big Ten Special Team Player of the Week three times.[11][12][13] After the regular season, Wetjen was named First-team All-Big Ten and Rodgers–Dwight Return Specialist of the Year for the second time. He also earned Consensus First-team All-American honors and was again named the recipient of the Jet Award, becoming its first repeat winner.[14][15]
Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led NCAA Division I FBS | |
| Led Big Ten Conference | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Kick returns | Punt returns | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2020–21 | Iowa Western | 7 | - | 4 | 144 | 36.0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | 3 | 72 | 24.0 | 0 | 26 | 416 | 16.0 | 2 |
| 2021 | Iowa Western | 11 | - | 18 | 304 | 16.9 | 1 | 5 | 60 | 12.0 | 0 | 7 | 129 | 18.4 | 0 | 31 | 459 | 14.8 | 2 |
| 2022 | Iowa | 0 | 0 |  Redshirt | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Iowa | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 | 14 | 335 | 23.9 | 0 | 7 | 63 | 9.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Iowa | 13 | 1 | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 0 | 26 | 727 | 28.0 | 1 | 26 | 328 | 12.6 | 1 |
| 2025 | Iowa | 13 | 6 | 20 | 151 | 7.6 | 1 | 15 | 79 | 5.3 | 2 | 16 | 476 | 29.8 | 1 | 21 | 563 | 26.8 | 3 |
| NJCAA career | 18 | - | 22 | 448 | 20.4 | 3 | 7 | 69 | 9.9 | 0 | 10 | 201 | 20.1 | 0 | 57 | 875 | 15.4 | 4 | |
| FBS career | 40 | 7 | 23 | 197 | 8.6 | 1 | 23 | 132 | 5.7 | 2 | 56 | 1,538 | 27.5 | 2 | 54 | 954 | 17.7 | 4 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+3⁄8 in (1.76 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 29+5⁄8 in (0.75 m) | 8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 4.47 s | 1.58 s | 2.60 s | 4.44 s | 6.95 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[16][17] | ||||||||||||
Wetjen was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round with the 121st overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.[18]
Danny Crossman, the Steelers' special teams coordinator, credited Wetjen for making good decisions and having good ball security. He referenced recent changes to dynamic kickoff rules in the NFL, which shortened the distance between the kicking and receiving team from 15 yards apart to 5.[19][20]
Personal life
As of April 2026, Wetjen is dating Rachel Bierman.[21][22]
Wetjen has a bachelor's degree in enterprise leadership.[23]
References
- Becker, Dana (December 30, 2024). "Williamsburg standout Kaden Wetjen makes impact for Iowa in Music City Bowl". High School On SI. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- Visser, Ben (May 18, 2019). "Iowa 2A boys' state track: Williamsburg wins another relay, takes second overall". www.thegazette.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- "Kaden Wetjen - Football 2024-25". Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- Pilcher, K.J. (November 26, 2019). "Iowa all-state football 2019: Western Dubuque's Calvin Harris named Class 3A captain". www.thegazette.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- "Kaden Wetjen". Iowa Western Reivers. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- "Kaden Wetjen Recruit Interests". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- Tachman, Tyler (April 17, 2025). "Iowa football special teams star Kaden Wetjen placed on scholarship for 2025 season". Hawk Central. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- Hiney, Zach (March 18, 2026). "Kaden Wetjen's journey: From JUCO to the Iowa football record books". Hawkeyes Wire. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- Underwood, Jordan (April 17, 2025). "Iowa speedster Kaden Wetjen adds the Jet Award to his trophy case". Dear Old Gold. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
- "Wetjen Named Jet Award Finalist". Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics - Official Athletics Website. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
- "Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Oregon Earn Weekly Football Honors". Big Ten Conference. September 15, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- "Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan and Washington Earn Weekly Football Honors". Big Ten Conference. September 22, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- "Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin Earn Weekly Football Honors". Big Ten Conference. November 24, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- "Kaden Wetjen joins Iowa football fraternity of Consensus All-Americans". Yahoo Sports. December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- "Wetjen Becomes First Jet Award Repeat Winner". Iowa Hawkeyes. January 5, 2026. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- "Kaden Wetjen Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". National Football League. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Kaden Wetjen College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- Varley, Teresa (April 25, 2026). "Steelers select Wetjen in fourth round". Steelers.com. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- Varley, Teresa (April 25, 2026). "Steelers select Wetjen in fourth round". Steelers.
- "Day 3: How They Fit". www.steelers.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- McGowan, Matt. "From roommates to teammates to friendly rivals, Kaden Wetjen and Frank Bierman's shared journey". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- Harding, Amber (April 27, 2026). "Kaden Wetjen found out he was drafted by the Steelers while casually playing golf with his girlfriend". Fox News. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- "Steelers select Wetjen in fourth round". www.steelers.com. Retrieved June 23, 2026.