Michael Heldman

Michael Heldman, who has two siblings, was born in Atlanta with his mother (Timara Regnerus), before the family moved to Romeo, Mich. He and his wife (Ariana), a former Central Michigan gymnast, were married in July 2025. Heldman had a challenging upbringing and turned to football as his escape. He became an all-state defensive lineman as a senior (19.0 sacks). A three-star recruit, he mainly received FCS offers until Central Michigan entered the picture. He showed gradual improvement each season with the Chippewas, and his 2025 performance (53 pressures, second in the MAC behind Nadame Tucker) raised his NFL profile. Donning the No. 97 jersey at CMU, Heldman — with his pass-rush athleticism and aggressive hands — looked like the MAC-level version of Nick Bosa. Rushing from both a three-point stance and stand-up position, he races up the arc and mixes up his rip and chop moves to grease the corner. He has a good feel for working back underneath blockers, as well, with a motor that doesn’t have an off switch. He isn’t super long, which shows at times versus the run, but he did a much better job shedding contact in 2025 than on his junior tape. Overall, Heldman was a pleasant surprise for NFL scouts this past season. He put it all together as a senior, and the result was a consistently disruptive edge rusher who won’t look out of place in an NFL training camp.