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 Wetjen was born on March 9, 2002, in Iowa City, Iowa. He was raised alongside his brothers Grady and Braylon by parents Lee and Lindsay Wetjen. His father, Lee, was a standout running back for Williamsburg High School, and would later coach Kaden in football. Like his father, Kaden would go on to attend Williamsburg High School, where he ran track and was a three-year football letterman as a running back, wide receiver and defensive back. As a senior, he scored 31 touchdowns and had six interceptions on defense. He also earned first-team all-state honors.
College career After graduating from high school, Wetjen attended Iowa Western Community College where he continued to play football as a wide receiver. 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.
During his first season with the Hawkeyes, he didn't appear in a game. The next season, Wetjen led Iowa in kickoff-return yardage and took over punt return duties after a season-ending injury to Cooper DeJean.
After the 2024 season, Wetjen was named the winner of the Jet Award as the nation's top return specialist. 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.
Prior to the 2025 season, Wetjen was placed on scholarship by the Hawkeyes.
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. 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.
Statistics Legend Led NCAA Division I FBS Led Big Ten Conference Bold Career high Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Kick returns Punt returns 2020–21 Iowa Western 7 - 4 144 36.0 2 2 9 4.5 0 3 72 24.0 0 26 416 16.0 22021 Iowa Western 11 - 18 304 16.9 1 5 60 12.0 0 7 129 18.4 0 31459 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 26.83 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
Wetjen was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round with the 121st overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
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.
Personal life As of April 2026, Wetjen is dating Rachel Bierman.
Wetjen has a bachelor's degree in enterprise leadership.
References
External links Pittsburgh Steelers bio Iowa Western Reivers bio Iowa Hawkeyes bio