Mike McCarthy has said he is impressed with the composition of the Pittsburgh Steelers roster.

Next week, for the first time as the team’s coach, McCarthy will get a first-hand look at players who could upgrade that roster.

The annual NFL combine in Indianapolis gets underway Monday with prospect interviews with team management groups. From a fan perspective, the event begins in earnest at 3 p.m. Thursday when on-field drills for linebackers, defensive linemen and kickers start at Lucas Oil Stadium.

That is the first of four consecutive days of the televised portion of the proceedings in which 319 former college players take part in all, some — or, in some cases, none — of tests such as the vertical and broad jumps, three-cone drill, shuttle run, bench press and, of course, the popular 40-yard dash.

What happens behind closed doors, however, might be just as important to teams eager to add talent and the players hoping to improve their draft stock via physical examinations and sit-down interviews.

“We’ll add through the draft,” McCarthy said last month. “Like I said, (former coach) Mike Tomlin and (general manager Omar Khan), they’ve left me with a lot to work with. I feel good about the direction.

“We definitely want to build off what’s in place here.”

The National Invitational Camp — the formal name of the combine — has been staged in Indianapolis since 1987 and held at Lucas Oil Stadium since 2009. That means (aside from the in-person event’s covid-related cancellation in 2021) this year’s is the first at that venue in which Tomlin won’t be on hand representing the Steelers.

Tomlin had a reputation as one of most hands-on among the league’s head coaches in regards to college scouting. But that doesn’t mean McCarthy won’t get heavily involved in the process this week.

“Frankly,” McCarthy said upon his hiring by the Steelers, “the draft’s really important.”

A veteran of 18 seasons as an NFL head coach, McCarthy is no stranger to the combine. This will be Khan’s fourth combine as Steelers general manager.

Khan’s first public comments since McCarthy’s introductory news conference will come via media availability Tuesday morning. He’s expected to address, among other pressing topics, Aaron Rodgers’ possible return as Steelers QB in 2026.

To what will surely be varying degrees of clarity in his answers, Khan likely will be asked about prominent Steelers set for unrestricted free agency (Kenneth Gainwell and Isaac Seumalo among them) as well as candidates to get cut (e.g., Jonnu Smith) and those who are in line for a contract extension (most notably, Joey Porter Jr.).

The way the NFL calendar works, free agency comes before the draft. A week after teams pack up from Indianapolis at the conclusion of the combine, the so-called “legal tampering” window for free agency opens March 9 with the new league year starting two days later.

The focus of combine week, of course, is the draft. While the organization’s scouting and evaluation of these 2026 draft prospects goes back years, it is not uncommon for some to buoy their standing with outstanding combines.

Speaking during a conference call with media Thursday, NFL Network draft analyst Danial Jeremiah noted how the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks had a pair of rookie starters who were standouts a year ago in Indianapolis.

“Looking back on last year’s combine,” Jeremiah said, “and seeing some of the stars from that combine have success throughout the rookie years and all the way to the Super Bowl, (such as) Gray Zabel with how he handled the offseason, and Nick Emmanwori, the job he did, I do think it’s a useful exercise to get there and watch these guys move around and work out.”

Zabel was a guard from FCS North Dakota State who opened eyes with his athletic ability. Emmanwori was a safety from South Carolina who had easily the best posted numbers for any prospect at any position for both the high jump and broad jump, and he additionally ran a swift 40-yard dash.

Coincidentally, the Steelers could be in the market for drafting safeties and/or interior offensive linemen in this draft. But the team’s consensus top need is at wide receiver — a phenomenon that jibes well with what will be on display at Lucas Oil Stadium this week.

“Wide receivers are really, really good,” Jeremiah said. “I had 19 guys with grades that would put them in the top-three-round range. That’s a really good group.”

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