GM Omar Khan & Coach Mike McCarthy 2026 Post-Draft Press Conference — Pittsburgh Steelers

[0:00] Awesome weekend. It truly was. I just want to start by really congratulating the city and the [0:09] people in this city for the draft here and how it turned out. I can't tell you guys how awesome [0:15] the feedback has been from the people that I talked to and all the excitement down there. [0:20] I mean, from politicians, the people. Obviously, I can't tell you guys what Art Rooney and Dan [0:28] Rooney did for this. It's just, it was, it's just, it's been great to see everybody from the league [0:34] office, you know, the commissioner and his staff. And it's just, I can't tell you how, again, I keep [0:40] using that word awesome. It's just, it was awesome. It truly, it truly has been. And, you know, and it [0:45] concluded with that excitement with Eli. I mean, I wasn't expecting to see that on TV and you can't [0:50] help but get emotional when you saw that at the end. But truly, truly, truly a tremendous weekend [0:57] for the city of Pittsburgh and, you know, for the Steelers and I think for the NFL. It's hopefully [1:01] we get it back here again. It was, enjoyed every minute of it. You know, before I take any questions, [1:08] I wanted to thank, you know, my personnel staff. I got to tell you guys, in my opinion, my staff [1:14] second to none. They're, they're, I'm so proud of these guys. And, you know, they work so hard [1:19] and for me and for the organization. And they do a tremendous job. And, you know, when we have such [1:30] a good process, I truly love our process. And, you know, we had a great board. And, you know, when [1:37] you, when you have a good process and, you know, you trust your board like we do. And, you know, [1:43] sometimes the draft throws curveballs your way. And, you know, things just sort of sort out from there [1:48] when that happens, you know, if you have that trust. And I can't say enough about those guys. [1:53] And they're, you know, I just can't do this without them. And they're awesome. And I also [1:56] want to thank Mike and his coaches. Man, these guys, you know, the time and effort they put into [2:03] this, you know, we haven't done this in 19 years with the new staff here and the way these guys [2:08] just worked so hard, man. I can't thank you guys, coach, for, for this process. I know it's hard [2:13] moving to Pittsburgh and lots of stuff going on personally and, you know, getting stuff ready [2:18] from the football side. And then you got me throwing a lot of stuff your way. So appreciate [2:23] all the efforts from the coaching staff, too. You know, everyone else in the organization, [2:29] because we have a great organization here, great people, and really pleased with how things turned [2:34] out. You know, we drafted, what did we end up with? Ten picks. And, you know, I'm not going to talk [2:40] about each one of them individually right now. If you guys, I'm sure you guys will fire up some [2:43] questions. But like I said, that ending was tremendous, too. I mean, I'm sure you guys all saw it. [2:48] That was pretty cool to watch. So from there, happy to take any questions. [2:52] Omar, was the offensive heavy draft, is that kind of reflective of having Mike in his background and [2:58] what you want to do on offense? Sure. [3:01] No. He, you know, it just sort of came that way. You know, that's how the draft, the draft [3:05] sorted itself out. And, you know, it just, you know, we didn't go in there saying, hey, we're going to [3:10] draft nine offensive guys and one defensive guy. You know, like I mentioned, you know, you trust your [3:16] board, you trust the process, and it all sorts out. And that's just sort of how they, how it turned [3:20] out. We haven't talked to you since obviously the reports came out. But you guys being on the phone [3:27] with Makai, can you kind of take us through the, you mentioned the curve for all such draft [3:31] pranks. Just take us through the moments that kind of ensued after that. [3:35] Yeah. You know, when you're, the draft happens, there's a lot of excitement that goes on to, [3:39] and, you know, there was no ill intent and, you know, made the call. But as I mentioned, [3:46] when you have a good process, and you trust your board, and, you know, the draft throws [3:50] curveballs at you, and every round, trust me, it happens throughout the draft, and some public, [3:56] some not. And, you know, things just sort of take care of themselves. [3:59] After taking a swing at a receiver there, initially at 21, how do you feel you guys pivoted to address [4:08] that position? And, Mike, how do you feel your room is now after batting the guys that you did today? [4:13] Well, I think Omar really has answered your question. You have to trust your board. [4:20] I've always looked at the draft board similar, you know, to calling a huge game, you know, [4:25] but obviously with a lot more energy. And I mean, there's so much time and energy goes into putting [4:30] that board together. And it's, this draft, this weekend was very refreshing when you see need hit [4:36] value, when value hits need. And so when you get down to those picks, you know, you're usually talking [4:42] about two, three, four players, and, but it really did. It is, you know, we did not go [4:48] into the draft saying we're going to take so many offensive players or so many defensive [4:51] players. We wanted to raise the level, you know, of our, of our talent. And we're aware [4:57] of positions that we would probably want to add to, but, you know, and that's the case [5:02] with the receiver. I mean, it's just, I mean, he was, he was right there. And that's a, that's [5:07] a great pick, pick right there. [5:08] Did you, Bernard and the kicker turner for my own respect, feel you got him there? [5:14] We got what? [5:14] How'd you feel about the room after you got Bernard in the second round? [5:18] Yeah. I mean, we, we feel, you know, obviously we traded up to get Jeremy. So I think it kind [5:23] of speaks for how we feel about him. You know, we think he's going to add to the room and then [5:27] Caden, you know, that's, that's on coach. He's going to have some fun with him, I think. And, [5:31] you know, obviously his, his, he's going to help us in the return game, which was an area [5:36] of need for us. [5:38] Adding Drew Allard in the third round, what kind of value do you feel like you got with [5:42] him and what are you getting in him that made him the attractive picker? [5:45] I mean, it's about the quarterback room. I've always approached it that way. I learned it that [5:50] way as a, as a young coach. It's, it's about training the whole room together. And we, you know, [5:57] we had an opportunity to get on the field last week, uh, for two days, you know, with [6:00] Mason and, and well, and, and now we had Drew. So this, this is, this is, this is the [6:06] goal. I mean, this is the outlook. I mean, we talked about it in my interview, just from [6:10] a philosophical standpoint. So we, we want to have a healthy, you know, a quarterback [6:16] room that, that we're always developing. We're always developing it. It's the most [6:20] important position, maybe in sports. I mean, it's very difficult. There's a lot that goes [6:24] into that. Uh, we have a way of how the quarterback will be trained here. Uh, I've done it a long [6:30] time and, um, it's great to have two really young guys that I'm, I'm extremely excited [6:34] about. [6:35] Did the draft and drill affect what you guys expect to hear from Aaron or what you want [6:39] to hear from Aaron? [6:40] It wasn't, it's, it's, it's, no, not at all. This is, uh, this is about developing the [6:45] room and trying to make the room as deep, you know, as we possibly can. [6:49] If you, if you do get an answer from Aaron and does decide to come here, would you be [6:54] comfortable with two guys who haven't taken a snap in the NFL as backups or would you need [6:58] to keep Mason to give yourselves and have a guy with a little bit of experience? [7:01] I mean, these are all questions and answers, hypotheticals that really, uh, it won't change [7:07] what I've already said. I will, I will coach the hell out of that room. Um, I have a lot of [7:12] confidence. Uh, I have history and experience that, that, um, you know, I will give everything [7:18] I, I can to any quarterback in that room. So we, we, we, we want to grow the quarterback [7:23] room. We, we don't want to, you know, just rely on one quarterback. [7:26] He's like a new AFC North in terms of the size, the arm strength, the hands. Is he the [7:31] AFC North quarterback you've been talking about for a while now? [7:33] Well, I, I think the biggest thing is you recognize where you play. I mean, you, you know, [7:37] you're going to have eight home games, so, uh, it's no different with the return game. [7:43] You know, the return game is, is, was a very important, you know, outlook, uh, for, for [7:49] Omar and I, from the first day we started talking about the draft. [7:52] Mike, Mike, what are the challenges? [7:54] What did you like about Drew Baller and, uh, was he the guy you wanted on day two? [7:58] Definitely. I mean, uh, I, I think like anything, you, you know, I, I, I believe in first impressions. [8:05] You know, I've, I've had a chance to, to have, you know, watch him play, but meet, meet him at the combine. [8:10] Um, and really all the quarterbacks that came into the meeting room there did very well. [8:15] But I, I just, you know, I liked everything about him. [8:18] I think he's, I think he's young. [8:19] I think he's got a lot of great, you know, a lot of room for growth. [8:22] And, and, you know, he's a young man that can throw the ball with the best of them. [8:26] And that, that, that's a great starting point to have. [8:28] Mike, what are the challenges in having two young quarterbacks and giving them time to be able to develop? [8:33] CBA rules is the only challenge we have, but, um, you know, everybody coaches under them, but it's, it's a good place to be. [8:41] Um, you know, I was very impressed with Will last week. [8:44] You know, I, I knew he was a good athlete. [8:46] Um, you know, we had a chance, uh, Tom and I had a chance to break down. [8:50] We do a thing called quarterback profile. [8:51] So we had a chance to videotape that on Tuesday. [8:54] And, and that's something we'll share, you know, with Mason and, and Will on Monday. [8:58] But it, you know, it's, there's a training regimen that's involved. [9:01] Um, but, you know, we'll stick to it. [9:03] And, um, I'm, I'm excited about both of those guys. [9:06] How about roster rules to Omar? [9:08] Like you'd said, Mike, on Monday, you'd like to have four and use the practice squad the right way. [9:13] How, what are the machinations that you can kind of use to your advantage to try to hold on to four? [9:18] Four quarterbacks. [9:19] How do you, how do you do that? [9:21] Yeah, I mean, those are all, you're talking about once we get into the season? [9:24] Yeah. [9:25] Yeah, I mean, those are all options. [9:26] You know, the one thing about this league is, you know, there's natural attrition that happens. [9:29] Uh, once you get into training camp and injuries happen and that sort of sorts itself out. [9:33] But, you know, the league's set up where you have, uh, options and opportunities to keep your best players. [9:38] Mike, have you ever had a service academy guy? [9:40] And Heidenreich specifically, how do you envision? [9:43] I'm sorry, I didn't hear the first part of that. [9:45] Have you ever had a service academy guy? [9:47] And how do you envision Heidenreich being used? [9:49] I think the biggest thing is, you know, obviously I have a lot of respect for, for what he's done the last four years. [9:55] Um, we, we talk a lot about how many downs a player plays. [10:01] You know, does he play all four downs? [10:03] You know, his ability to play multiple positions. [10:05] So I think Eli definitely brings that to the table. [10:08] So, um, I think both, you know, we, I just, I met with, uh, Angelico briefly, you know, earlier. [10:14] So I, I think we're going to open up our playbook a little bit. [10:18] You mentioned the emotion that came with drafting Eli and, you know, the crowd going crazy for you. [10:24] What is that moment like to draft a Pittsburgh native guy and see him get to walk across the stage in front of this Pittsburgh crowd? [10:30] Oh, I mean, I, I, I think everybody in the room felt it. [10:32] I felt that, um, I, I couldn't imagine what it would, you know, would have been to walk out there like that. [10:37] So, uh, just really proud of him. [10:39] And, you know, and I think the biggest thing for me as a coach is to create opportunities for, for all these guys and especially for Eli. [10:46] One more bigger picture. [10:47] Just, um, when you entered the draft with 12 draft picks, that's a lot of capital. [10:52] What was your plan to try to leverage that to your advantage and how do you think you executed it? [10:56] Um, I think the execution went, went, um, went pretty good. [10:59] You know, really, really happy with how, with the players that we acquired. [11:02] Um, you know, we went into it. [11:03] As I mentioned to you guys, I didn't know if we were going to end up with 10 or 14 picks. [11:06] You know, we were open to anything. [11:07] There was some good players in this draft. [11:09] It really was. [11:10] And, uh, you know, we got 10 good ones. [11:12] And, um, you know, I'd like to tell you that I went in there saying, hey, we're going to end up with 10 or end up with nine or eight and four first rounders. [11:20] But, you know, you just sort of have to let it come, come to you and, uh, you trust your process. [11:25] When you draft a player like Caden whose contributions have primarily come on special teams, how do you try to balance the value that that provides compared to maybe a depth at a double position or a guy who could be a potential future starter? [11:37] Yeah, I mean, I think his resume speaks for itself. [11:39] You know, um, he's very productive in that area in college. [11:42] I mean, that's, that's, I mean, just, just look at his stats. [11:46] I mean, I think that speaks for itself, but, uh, you know, it's, it was a neat position. [11:50] Um, he was the top guy in the area, in my opinion. [11:53] Um, and, uh, you know, for us, that's the value we, we, we put on him and we, we feel really good about where we got him. [12:00] With Max, is it a case where since he took up football so late, do you see a higher ceiling that there's still ascension in terms of where his game can be or where his team learns more even? [12:08] Oh, absolutely, absolutely. [12:10] I mean, he, he's so impressive. [12:12] I mean, you guys got to meet him, got to meet him, uh, yesterday. [12:15] And, uh, I mean, there's, there's a lot to like there. [12:19] And a lot of growth to come. [12:20] And, you know, I'm excited for him being a Pittsburgh Steelers for years and years to come. [12:24] I know Mike was, uh, giving you grief about it, but how did the eight minute clock thing come into play? [12:29] And was, was that at all an issue with the whole thing with Makai? [12:32] Like, did you have time to go back to the Cowboys and say, hey, you know, can we get, can we, can we swing something here? [12:38] Yeah, it was, it was a non-issue. [12:39] I probably made more out of it than I, I, I, I should have the other day, but it was, it was fine. [12:44] Are you changing your first impressions earlier? [12:47] What were your first impressions of Jennings Dunker? [12:49] He said, seems like a pretty interesting guy and, uh, would stand out even in a crowd of 10 offensive linemen, I think, when you look at him. [12:55] Yeah, I mean, we love his hair. [12:56] I mean, we're, we're, it's, you know, I'm sure our marketing department, marketing department likes it even more, but no, he's impressive. [13:03] Uh, I know James Camp and, and, and the whole offensive line staff, I mean, just, you know, so impressed with him. [13:09] And then I think it's just like anything when you, you sit there and watch these men, whether you do a zoom or meet them in person, you go through the, you know, the process. [13:17] First time you, you may meet him is at the combine. [13:20] Um, but he's, you know, when he walked through the door, I mean, he's, he's a very, very impressive young man. [13:24] What stood out to you guys about Gabriel Rubio? [13:26] I'm sorry? [13:27] What stood out to you guys about Gabriel Rubio? [13:29] Well, I just think, number one, you watch the way he plays and you look at, you know, [13:32] you look at his skillset. [13:34] I mean, he's, he's a, he's a Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman. [13:37] I think he's an outstanding fit for the three, four. [13:40] And I thought that was a no brainer pick right there. [13:42] Why is fullbacks still important in your offense? [13:46] And what are your thoughts on Riley? [13:48] Well, Riley, I think when you look at Riley, his versatility just jumps off the charts. [13:52] I mean, if you go back through his background at Wisconsin, you know, he played in the two back offense, played in the three surface offense, [13:57] where he played, you know, both the fullback up on the line, did all the movement ability. [14:02] You know, he played one year in a, in a run and shoot type one back. [14:05] So he has some, he has some one back running ability too. [14:08] And, and I cannot, you know, tell you how impressed I was with him and his story to leave Wisconsin and to go to Indiana and be a captain on the national championship team. [14:19] So this is an outstanding pick. [14:22] And, and on top of that, I know I'm excited about it because I, I love the two back offense. [14:27] There's a lot of things that, you know, you start in this league in the nineties where, you know, two back offense was a primary component of normal down and distance. [14:36] Now to be able to bring some of that back, it's something that did a little bit in Dallas, you know, down there, you know, 23, 24. [14:43] So to be able to have that, but the big part of it, no one's happier than Danny Crossman. [14:47] I mean, you know, he's a four core special teamer, you know, he'll have a chance to potentially be a leader captain type on special teams. [14:54] So I thought that was an excellent pick there by Omar. [14:57] Mike, on the offensive line, you have a lot of youth, a lot of positional flexibility, and then also the question mark for product health. [15:04] How do you go about sorting out where all these moving pieces fit together? [15:08] Great question. [15:09] There's different ways of doing it. [15:10] You know, I've done left side, I've done right side. [15:12] You've got to look at the experience of these guys, how we bring these rookies into the place. [15:17] So those discussions have started. [15:20] And frankly, until we sit down with the players, you know, I'm not going to sit here and talk about it openly until then. [15:26] But yes, I mean, because you want to create an opportunity for everybody to have a chance to line up. [15:33] But boy, the longer I do this, it takes the whole group to get through the season. [15:38] So how we train them together in their position flex will be a big part of our decisions on how we start. [15:45] Omar, you ended up drafting a lot of guys that were younger but also had multi-year experience. [15:50] Was that kind of a concentrated effort to get guys that had multiple years of starting but also, I think, were 23 or younger? [15:56] I think the only guy that's 23 or older was Weijin out of your picks. [16:00] Yeah, you know what? [16:01] It goes back to you just kind of trust your board. [16:03] We didn't go into it saying, you know, we want to average this age group by the end of this amount of experience. [16:08] It just sort of trusted our board and it came to us that way. [16:12] I appreciate your questions. [16:15] I didn't realize that until you said it. [16:16] Yeah. [16:17] It's good homework. [16:18] Two more guys. [16:19] When you get to that stage, you've got a 200-pound guy that runs a 4-3. [16:22] Is that something that you just look at that skill set in terms of the safety until the first seventh round pick? [16:28] Yeah. [16:29] Yeah. [16:30] Size and speed. [16:31] Yeah, size and speed. [16:32] You know, value at that spot. [16:34] Our scouts really like them. [16:36] Just, you know, special teams contributor. [16:39] A lot to like there. [16:42] Is Eli a running back who catches the ball or is he more of a receiver? [16:47] How do you use him? [16:48] Both. [16:49] You say open the playbook. [16:50] Definitely no position flex. [16:51] I mean, he can play from the slot. [16:53] He can play from the backfield. [16:54] You know, you see him out displaced. [16:56] You know, I think anything when you put a young man in the receiver room, he has to play all three positions. [17:01] That's the way we want to play. [17:02] That's the way it's been introduced the last couple weeks. [17:05] But his ability also to play from the backfield. [17:07] And, you know, just, you know, the diversity is important. [17:11] So, like I said, you can't do everything. [17:14] You know, I've had different players in the past. [17:18] So, we'll definitely look at those things. [17:21] Hey, guys, I meant to mention one thing in my intro. [17:24] She's going to not be happy with it. [17:26] But Maureen Mannion, you know, our assistant, she's retiring. [17:30] And she's been here since my first day in 2001. [17:34] And she's very special to all of us down there. [17:36] And, you know, she's probably not going to be happy when I said this, guys. [17:39] But I just want to publicly say, you know, how much we're going to miss her and appreciate all of her hard work through the years. [17:46] She's been a great asset for us. [17:48] And we're going to miss her. [17:49] So, if you guys get a chance to see her, and I know some of you guys know her, just please congratulate her. [17:54] All right. [17:55] Thank you, guys. [17:56] She's a Mannion. [17:57] I played for her uncle. [17:58] So, she's the right stuff.