The offseason began with a new head coach and a revamped staff of assistants in place for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The front office brain trust, however, remains in place with general manager Omar Khan and assistant Andy Weidl, which means don’t expect many changes in the way the organization conducts business in regards to the NFL Draft.
While free agency will dominate the news cycle for a few weeks in March, the draft will command much of the attention over the next 70-plus days. That will be particularly true this year with the city hosting the event, which is expected to draw several hundred thousand visitors to the region.
When the Steelers were announced as the host team last spring, owner Art Rooney II noted how the franchise was coming off the 50th anniversary of the NFL’s greatest draft haul. In 1974, the Steelers added Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mike Webster and Jack Lambert. They also signed Donnie Shell as an undrafted free agent, and all five players helped the franchise win four Super Bowl titles in a six-year span and eventually were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“We do have a great tradition of the draft in our organization,” Rooney II said, “and that is part of us hosting the draft.”
With the draft being the lifeblood of the franchise’s success since the NFL-AFL merger, the organizational philosophy won’t change with Greenfield native Mike McCarthy replacing Mike Tomlin as head coach.
“I’m looking forward to it,” McCarthy said. “I experienced it for one day (in 2025) up in Green Bay. The environment is incredible, and I think Pittsburgh will be phenomenal this year to have it over at the stadium. … Pittsburgh will represent very well.”
From a football perspective, it’s more important what the Steelers do at the draft than how the franchise puts on a showcase for the NFL to see. Players — and not pomp and circumstance — win championships and produce playoff victories, something the Steelers haven’t accomplished since 2016.
The number of picks the Steelers have in the seven rounds remains unknown, but they are projected to have as many as 12 depending on how many compensatory selections they are allocated.
With the 2025 season officially in the rear-view mirror following the Super Bowl last weekend, attention will shift to the organizational offseason moves — with the April 23-25 draft representing the culmination of so much work.
Before the draft arrives, a few key points and dates to keep in mind as the Steelers pore over hundreds of college prospects:
NFL Combine
The annual event runs from Feb. 23 until March 2 and is the second major stop for most elite prospects. The first was the college all-star game circuit, which was led by the Senior Bowl and included the Hula, American and East-West Shrine events. The HBCU All-Star Game, for players representing historically Black colleges, will be held Feb. 21 in New Orleans.
The league has invited 319 prospects to the NFL Combine, and these players will undergo physicals, meet with teams formally or informally and most will be put through a workout inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Teams can hold 50 formal meetings with prospects, following up on the business that was conducted at the Senior Bowl.
If the Steelers don’t retain 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, they will be in the market for a quarterback, and 15 have been invited to Indianapolis, including Penn State’s Drew Allar.
Wide receiver remains high on the franchise’s wish list, and 46 prospects will be on hand at the combine.
Pro days
After the combine concludes, prospects will resume training for their respective college pro days. Regional combines also are conducted for players who have exhausted college eligibility and play at a school that doesn’t have a pro day.
The pro-day circuit will consume much of Khan’s and McCarthy’s time in March. Wisconsin hosts one of the earliest events, March 6. Others of interest are Penn State (March 18), Michigan (March 20), Notre Dame (March 24) and Ohio State (March 25).
Top-30 visits
The next phase begins immediately after the pro days end. NFL teams are permitted to bring 30 non-local prospects to their facility for formal visits. This is the last time teams can interview prospects before the draft, with the process lasting about three weeks in late March and April.
The importance of the top-30 process can’t be underestimated. This is the fourth draft conducted by the Khan-Weidl team, and they have selected 11 players they have brought to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for visits.
That list includes the past three No. 1 picks: Derrick Harmon, Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones. Last year, Kaleb Johnson and Yahya Black were drafted by the Steelers after conducting top-30 visits.
In 2024, the Steelers visited with Mason McCormick, Zach Frazier and Payton Wilson while also visiting with Beanie Bishop, a player they signed after the draft. Visitors in 2023 included Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton and Darnell Washington.