Like every other team across the league, the Pittsburgh Steelers are deep in their own pre-draft process. But it’s one that looks very different this time around. Mike Tomlin, who was of course very involved in the process throughout his tenure as head coach, is no longer in town. He’s replaced by Mike McCarthy, who hasn’t been quite as involved in the process this year.
That includes Pro Days, which McCarthy hasn’t been a frequent attendee at. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, McCarthy mentioned that he’s only been able to attend one of the six Pro Days he planned on making it to. He explained that some scheduling conflicts had to do with those absences.
“Didn’t get to as many of the Pro Days as we had scheduled. We were originally scheduled to go to six of them. Just ’cause of a bunch of other things moving around, we just made the one down there in Georgia,” McCarthy said.
Mike McCarthy said on McAfee the plan was six pro days this year for him but various things happening resulted in him going to just the Georgia one. #Steelers #NFL
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) March 30, 2026
McCarthy didn’t attend Pro Days very frequently in Dallas either, so it’s sort of a continuation of a trend for him. He was able to make it to Georgia’s, but explained “other things moving around” as reasons for him missing the other five he planned on going to.
Despite not being able to attend as many of those as he hoped, McCarthy did explain that he’s been very involved in the draft process regardless.
“We spent a lot of time in the draft process. I was able to sit in with the scouts, before we went to the combine. You know, we took a lap through most of the positions,” McCarthy said. “But, yeah, we’re very, very involved. And when we get back, we have our draft meetings, our final draft meetings with the coaches that we’ll go through. So yeah, we’ve been working hand in hand.”
For what it’s worth, McCarthy has seemed to mostly keep up with draft cycles throughout the years. Shortly after he was hired by the Steelers, McAfee himself described McCarthy as being “more prepared than anybody else”, despite not coaching in the NFL during that season. If he’s meeting with the scouts enough, and watching enough film on his own, that may make his Pro Day absences less significant.
Steelers fans would probably have liked to see him be more active at Pro Days. But that hasn’t been the case this year. However, with 12 picks, there is plenty of work still ahead before the draft in late-April. According to Mike McCarthy, he’ll remain busy in the pre-draft process until then.
Recommended for you