Nate Leopold used to sit in the yellow seats at Heinz Field — before it became Acrisure Stadium — twirling a Terrible Towel and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
When they played “Renegade,” he stood up and yelled like the 68,000-plus going crazy around him.
“The first year I remember watching every game was the 2005 Super Bowl season,” Leopold said. “I was blessed to see some great teams from a young age. My parents also did a great job of teaching me the history of the Steelers and NFL with old VCR tapes of the ’70s Steelers.
“I grew up watching a lot of NFL Films and ‘A Football Life’ on NFL Network.”
Next week, Leopold will try to get the Steelers to throw in the towel.
He has been busy engineering his best game plan additions to beat Pittsburgh in Monday night’s AFC wild-card game at Acrisure Stadium. The Franklin Regional graduate is a pro scout for the Houston Texans.
“With all that said, (the Steelers) are just the next opponent to scout,” Leopold said. “And my process for scouting them is no different than another team.”
A football superfan who has been breaking down film and analyzing pro and college football data since middle school, Leopold said working in the NFL allows him to “live my dream every day.”
The job entails working directly with Texans general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans, as well as coaching and scouting units.
His primary responsibility is to scout opponents and the entire league. He knows the Steelers back to front. He admitted to being awake for 36 hours Sunday and Monday, immediately diving deep into the latest tape after Tyler Loop’s 44-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right and the Steelers edged the Baltimore Ravens, 26-24, to win the AFC North and qualify for the postseason.
Leopold, who also works with special teams players in practice, combs through film looking for the smallest details that can give the Texans an edge.
“Whatever the team needs me to do to help us win,” said Leopold, who began working with Houston four years ago as a scouting assistant, which, he said, “covers every possible task under the sun.”
“Throughout the week, I am watching a ton of film and writing a lot of reports,” he said. “It is my job to be the expert on the team and know every possible detail about them.”
Leopold’s football journey has taken him from Murrysville — he was a standout quarterback and defensive back at Franklin Regional — to Ohio, where he played college football for John Carroll University, to Philadelphia, where he interned with the Eagles, to Houston, where he now lives and works.
“Growing up in a football town helped shape my love for the game and a mentality for how the game is supposed to be played,” he said.
Leopold’s favorite player was Troy Polamalu. He attended the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2020 when Polamalu was enshrined.
At John Carroll, where he was a hard-hitting, All-Ohio Athletic Conference first-team defensive back, he majored in business management with a minor in leadership development.
Knowing he wanted a career in pro football, he became proactive late in his college days.
“I wrote letters to every team in the NFL about potential opportunities,” he said. “The Eagles originally hired me to be a training camp intern, but before I signed my contract, the Texans ended up hiring me full time as a scouting assistant.”
Leopold did his own personal draft rankings on social media when he was at John Carroll, evaluating up to 150 prospects
“He’s going to be a GM some day,” Franklin Regional athletic director Zach Kessler said. “He had this thick book he’d put together, like Mel Kiper. He really studies up on the game.”
Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross, a John Carroll alumnus, received a Leopold letter.
The John Carroll pipeline worked its magic from there.
“A teammate of his from JCU had seen my draft evaluations on Twitter and sent it to Frank, telling him to check me out,” Leopold said. “This coincided with the time Frank received my letter. Frank passed on my information to (Caserio), who is also a JCU alum, and then I had an interview and was hired down here.”
Leopold never has two days that are the same in a fast-moving, instant gratification league.
NFL head coaches and armies of staffers can feel like they are working on one-day contracts.
“I am getting to learn something new every single day,” Leopold said. “The game and league are constantly evolving, presenting new information to learn from with every game and practice. Having a growth mindset every day is essential.
“A lot of different people are a part of the process of bringing in players and contributing materials to help us win each week. Just getting to be a part of that process and coming out with a win is the best feeling and reward that there is.”
Another hometown coincidence will greet Leopold in the spring when the NFL Draft comes to Pittsburgh.
The event is set for April 23-25 at Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. It will be the first time the draft will be held in Pittsburgh.
Leopold will be filing predraft reports on potential picks and providing input from the team’s headquarters when the Texans are on the clock.
“I will be in our draft room the same as every other year, so nothing will change on my end,” he said. “But I think it is great for the city to host the draft. I attended the draft in person in 2021 when I was at JCU when it was in Cleveland and it is a great event for the fans. I am sure the city will put on a great display.”
