The wait may be almost over, but for Steelers General Manager Omar Khan Thursday night and the NFL Draft still can't get here soon enough.
"I wish the draft was right now," Khan announced today. "We're ready for it."
Khan's excitement is a product of the Steelers' preparation as an organization at least as much if not more than it is his personal anticipation.
"I trust our process," he continued. "I'm confident saying right now that when we're done on Saturday we'll have gotten 10, 12, 14 players, whatever it is. I feel really good about where we're at right now and all the work we've put into it and how the board is stacked."
Head coach Mike McCarthy, preparing for his first draft with the Steelers, called the pre-draft process "a lot of fun," and credited the personnel and coaching staffs for "connecting" as the Steelers prepared.
"That's a process," McCarthy maintained. "That's not always super smooth, and sometimes it takes a little longer than you'd like.
"I thought both staffs did a really good job."
The Steelers have 12 selections at their disposal, one in the first round (21st overall), one in the second (53rd), three in the third (76th, 85th, 99th), two in the fourth (121st, 235th), one in the fifth (161st), one in the sixth (216th) and three in the seventh (224th, 230th and 237th).
McCarthy's mindset is the more, the merrier.
"I believe in 'draft and develop,'" he emphasized. "I think that's the bloodline of how you grow your roster. I love the roster that's in place here. I think we have a very good mix of younger players and established veterans. And then to add a full draft class, and obviously, being above 10, I think, would be awesome, personally.
"I've always felt that the more players you have to develop, particularly younger players, I think definitely, for the long term, is a good process. Frankly, my 18-year head coaching career speaks to that. I'm a big believer in 'draft and develop.'"
With 12 overall selections, the Steelers have the draft capital available to move as they see fit via trades.
Khan said discussions regarding potential trades are ongoing, as they always are at this point in the pre-draft process, but also added "probably less than five percent of those calls actually turn out to be something."
Still, the Steelers will continue do their due diligence, including as it relates to what it would take to move up in the first round.
"The reality is, when it's draft day, it never hurts to ask," Khan said. "You never know when someone's really dying to get out (and move down) and maybe the value will be different than you thought it would take. The same going backwards (trading down).
"You at least always inquire."
No matter how many picks the Steelers end up making, McCarthy won't be opposed to selecting a quarterback from this year's crop, assuming it's a prospect who is perceived to be the right guy in the right place at the right time.
"In every draft class, particularly quarterbacks, I think you gotta decide really, what do you want?" he said. "What's the direction of your offense? I, as a quarterback coach, would like to work with any of those guys, I feel that way.
"I believe in starting lines and floors and ceilings, things like that, where you play. You gotta decide what you want and I think this class has that. It's not the biggest class that I've seen but I think you just have to decide, really, what you're looking for.
"It's a position, we speak on it as being the most important position in football. I think it's important to always try to add to it if you can. It has to fit."
