The Pittsburgh Steelers are searching far and wide for potential 2026 draft picks. In Friday’s case, they’re even going back to a connection from the 1990s. Per reporter Neel Madhavan, the Steelers are one of a handful teams attending Youngstown State’s Pro Day with eyes on WR Max Tomczak.
A name that will sound familiar to Steelers’ fans of a certain age, Max’s uncle is former Steelers quarterback Mike Tomczak. Mike, in fact, serves as a volunteer coach for Youngstown State.
It's Pro Day here at Youngstown State.
Six Penguins participating, including Max Tomczak, DJ Harris, Jeremiah Robinson, Collin Vaughn, Ben Tolble and Mike Solomon, plus three Mercyhurst players, as well.
Reps from the Raiders, Browns, 49ers, Steelers, Texans and Lions are here. pic.twitter.com/MZ7qIY9ZEl
— Neel Madhavan (@NeelMadhavan) March 20, 2026
Pittsburgh is one of six teams to attend the workout that’s also joined by FCS prospects from around the area. It’s not clear which scout is attending the workout, but we’ll update this post and our tracker once we know.
One of the FCS’ top wide receivers, Tomczak has more value than just his last name. In 2025, he posted 70 receptions for 1,021 yards, and eight touchdowns to set single-season bests across the board. His best performance came in his final college game, hauling in six passes for 105 yards and three touchdowns against Yale. Tomczak posted a pair of three touchdown showings throughout the season, doing the same earlier in the year against South Dakota State.
In four years with the Penguins, he tallied 225 catches for 3,024 yards, and 15 touchdowns. Tomczak also dabbled as a punt returner.
My first Steelers’ mock draft slotted Tomczak to Pittsburgh in the seventh round. Most likely, he’ll sign with a team as an undrafted free agent, but a strong Pro Day showing today could give him a chance to be selected.
Mike Tomczak spent seven years playing quarterback for the Steelers, 1993-1999. Starting 27 games, his best season came in 1996. Going 8-5 as a starter, he threw 15 touchdowns and 17 interceptions and won a playoff game against the Jim Harbaugh and the Indianapolis Colts.
Other Youngstown State prospects taking part include DB DJ Harris, who notched 72 tackles and two interceptions in 2025, and DL Collin Vaughn, a Utah State transfer who tallied 45 tackles and 2 sacks this year.
Beginning Monday, we’ll celebrate “Small School week” with our scouting reports focusing on players from the FCS level and below. We’ll likely have a report on Tomczak and other notable super sleepers most others aren’t discussing. Last year, we were perhaps the only public outlet with a complete scouting report on South Dakota TE JJ Galbreath, who signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent and was brought back on a Reserve/Futures contract this offseason.
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