The Pittsburgh Steelers are eager to get this new chapter started with Mike McCarthy at the helm. The 62-year-old head coach comes to Pittsburgh ready to turn the tide and he wants to do it quickly. There have been no indications that any sort of rebuild is happening and the 2026 NFL season is business as usual for Pittsburgh. Only this time without Mike Tomlin, of course, as he stepped away after 19 seasons in charge. Now McCarthy comes to steer the ship, and he knows having a good 2026 NFL Draft will be pivotal. While McCarthy was speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, he revealed a little hiccup he ran into while trying to attend Pro Days to scout prospects.
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New Steelers head coach, Mike McCarthy on the sideline at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin during his time with the Packers.
McCarthy explained that his schedule did not allow him to make it to as many Pro Days as he had originally planned, which created some limitations in his early scouting process. He had lined up multiple stops to evaluate draft prospects in-person, but shifting logistics forced him to scale back those visits and focus on just one trip in Georgia. Despite the setback, McCarthy emphasized that he remained heavily involved in the evaluation process, working closely with his staff to stay aligned on the draft board. There was a lot made about the Steelers’ bigwigs not being at Ty Simpson’s Pro Day, and now Steeler Nation may have the explanation.
Steelers' Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy may have been playing chess at Ty Simpson's Pro Dayhttps://t.co/r80xgHaA8f
— Anthony G. Halkias II (@anthonyghalkias) March 27, 2026
Even with fewer in person opportunities, McCarthy made it clear that preparation has been a shared effort across the organization. He noted that time has been split primarily between football operations and draft preparation, with a heavier emphasis on football decisions overall. As the Steelers move closer to the draft, McCarthy’s ability to adapt and rely on his staff will be key in ensuring the team still executes a strong and well informed class to support his first season in Pittsburgh.
"I didn’t get to as many of the Pro Days as I had scheduled," McCarthy said while speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. "We originally scheduled to go to six of them, but we had a bunch of darn things moving around, so we just made the one down there in Georgia."
Despite McCarthy being slightly handicapped in terms of getting out to Pro Days, he has remained in the know and has trusted his scouts to the fullest extent.
Visit Pittsburgh
Visit Pittsburgh unveils a 2026 NFL Draft graphic for the Steelers fans.
He is well aware of how important this first draft is and is going above and beyond to prepare for a home run 2026 draft in Pittsburgh for the first time ever in NFL history.
"Very, very involved, and when we get back, we have our final draft meetings with the coaches that we will be going through," McCarthy said. "Yeah, we have worked hand-in-hand and split our time. Well, not really splitting our time. Probably 60/40, you know, football versus draft, so this is a big draft for us."
Steelers Are Prepared For Impressive 2026 NFL Draft Haul
With a bunch of draft capital and an expected 12 picks, the Steelers have plenty of options for how General Manager Omar Khan would like to approach this draft.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone and has a conversation in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend as he speaks with someone on the other line.
It is a big moment for Khan as well, as this will be his first draft without Tomlin. The jury is still out on Khan’s status as a GM, and this first draft in the next era will be super telling in the eyes of Steelers fans.
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