CULLMAN, Ala.- Like many other kids getting into football in the 2010s, Cullman-native Kaleb Heatherly fell in love with the high-flying Matt Ryan and Julio Jones-led Atlanta Falcons offenses that took the team to a Super Bowl in 2016.
“You know, I’m still upset about the 28-3 thing of course,” Heatherly said in reference to the Falcons historic implosion in Super Bowl LI, where Tom Brady and the Patriots erased a 25 point third quarter deficit to win the championship game. While that heartbreak stuck with him, so did the play of former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The relentless blocking style, the attitude and the team player mentality all stuck with Heatherly, who, after walking away from the sport in his sophomore year of high school, will get the opportunity to fulfill the dream of playing professional football after declaring for the NFL Draft this past week.
Football wasn’t always the dream for Heatherly, however. His brother, Jacob, was a third round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He wanted to follow in his footsteps, but was pulled back into football by Bearcats coaches due to his size and speed, which gave him a real shot of playing at the college level.
His 6-6 frame, along with standout junior and senior years at tight end and defensive end did just that, and he’d commit to the University of North Alabama, just an hour and 15 minutes northwest of Cullman. Heatherly played exclusively tight end at UNA, becoming a standout blocker over his time in Florence. In addition to sealing edges and creating gaps, he had his best year as a pass catcher in 2025, grabbing 17 passes for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The block-first tight end isn’t the flashiest position, and doesn’t result in the most eye-popping of statistics. Heatherly’s ability to be an extra tackle in the run game, and the upside in the pass game however, were enough to land him an invite to the Dream Bowl, a college all-star showcase event. He’d attend four days of practices, playing for college coaches in front of NFL and CFL scouts, then play in the game itself, which took place in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.
“Oh yeah, it was certainly a high emotions just because I knew all the work I put in to get there and knowing what I could get out of it. I really worked hard on improving my times in the combine drills and the 40 (yard dash),” Heatherly said on being a part of the event. He added, “That was totally different than anything I’ve ever played in, other than maybe at Florida State, but it was just unreal to play in that game and I did really well and all the attention I’ve been getting ever since that game’s been pretty fun, so it was awesome.”
From the jump, he’d caught the eye of teams. The first day of practices had the athletes take part in drills they’d potentially be seeing at the NFL Combine, and Heatherly ran a 4.7 40-yard dash and didn’t lose a single one-on-one rep again defenders, more signs of his upside in the pass game. His blocking ability showed in the game itself, driving a linebacker into another, then all the way out of bounds from nearly the middle of the field on one play.
While he couldn’t dive into specifics on which teams he spoke to, Heatherly said the communication between himself and NFL scouts were promising enough for him to declare for the draft after the event.
“I’ve been completing interviews for several teams and all of the interviews I can say are different within each team that I’ve done them for. It’s really unique, and what kids need to know, especially in high school, is that these NFL teams value special teams more than anything- your work ethic and how you can buy into producing more for the team and for your teammates,” Heatherly said.
In between now and the Draft, which begins on April 23, Heatherly will focus on refining his route running and cutting time off drills. He’ll get another chance to show out for NFL eyes at his Pro Day in March at UNA.
