New Steeler wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. remembers his draft day experience. He was selected with the second pick in the second round by the Indianapolis Colts.
“I was in my draft training apartment with my wife, my brother and my nephews. I got called, and then I went fishing,” Pittman recalled.
For Pittman that day in 2020, he caught calico bass. This year, expect the Steelers to cast a line into the NFL Draft and fish in a pond that is stocked with wide receivers.
Pittman is completely on board with that idea.
“I think it makes sense. You’ve two guys — I don’t want to say we are aging — but Year 7 (himself) and Year 8 (DK Metcalf). So they have got to get the room younger. It makes sense to bring in a guy,” Pittman said. “If they can bring in a guy who is a like-body-type that can learn from me and DK, we both offer a type of advice and training. DK is a physical specimen. I’m ‘dad bod.’ We are different types of players, but we both have things to offer. It’ll be great.”
One of those draft-eligible receivers Pittman endorsed was Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson. He was just a few yards away from Pittman while he was speaking in Shadyside at the Ellis School on Wednesday night. The two pass catchers joined Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at the Toyota NFL Draft Flag Football Training Camp.
Like Tyson, Simpson is an early round NFL Draft candidate who is here in Pittsburgh for the three-day event outside of Acrisure Stadium. It begins Thursday night.
“We definitely could use him — his talent, his jump-ball stuff that he does. I think that he would fit in great here,” Pittman said of Tyson. “I just told him to embrace it and to cherish every moment. It may not go exactly the way he had planned. But it will all work out.”
Pittman also talked up his fellow USC Trojan alum, Makai Lemon.
Michael Pittman Jr. endorsed Makai Lemon, another USC Trojan wr. Also said of fellow Toyota flag football camp coach Jordyn Tyson “we could use him”… at the Ellis school in Shadyside pic.twitter.com/ySKHHVwC2L
— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) April 22, 2026
“As an SC guy, anything I can do to help him out. I’m hoping that if we do draft one (receiver), it’s him. Just because of the SC ties, and he is a great player,” Pittman said. “He works hard and is going to come in and be an impact player.”
The Steelers have been in on Tyson since early in the season, making visits to Arizona State in both August and September. Despite frequent injuries during his time at ASU and Colorado, Tyson has been a productive player, posting 158 catches for 2,282 yards and 22 touchdowns during three years in college.
While with the Sun Devils, Tyson’s position coach was Hines Ward. That’s part of the reason why Tyson said he’d enjoy playing in Pittsburgh.
“It’d be amazing (with) Hines having his important legacy,” Tyson said. “I feel like the really cool thing about Hines is he built his legacy the right way. It was on the right stuff — being tough, doing the dirty work for the team, being an overall good person. So I feel like it’d be really cool — I wouldn’t say to continue that legacy — but to be a part of something like that.”
Tyson says the Super Bowl XL MVP was a great instructor.
“I feel like I learned everything (Ward) kind of learned over his 14-year career. That’s what he was trying to do for me, trying to be that mentor,” Tyson said. “He loves it out here. He spent his whole time here. And he won’t change it for the world, he said.”
Tyson and Lemon are both expected to be gone by pick No. 21 in the first round. That’s when the Steelers pick Thursday night. However, if the club is inclined to trade up in the draft, it may be with eyes on one of them.
I’d applaud either player becoming a Steeler, and it sure sounds like Pittman would, too.
I imagine Aaron Rodgers would be on board as well.
Who knows, maybe that’ll be what it takes for him to finally sign his new contract.
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