It’s no secret that former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was a big fan of the draft process. A fixture at pro days and the Senior Bowl, Tomlin spent time at Kentucky ahead of the 2015 NFL Draft to watch projected first-round pick Bud Dupree. The Steelers later drafted Dupree with the 22nd overall pick, but that may not have happened had Tomlin not influenced Dupree at his pro day.

On Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Dupree told the story of how Tomlin orchestrated his fall to the Steelers.

“I was about to get ready to run my 40 [yard dash], so I warmed up, and Coach Tomlin was like, ‘Why’d you run a 40 again?’ I’m like, why wouldn’t I run a 40? Let’s try to run a 4.3. And he like ‘Nah, don’t run a 40, you already ran, you ran fast already.’ And looking back on it man, Coach Tomlin stopped me from getting drafted higher so I could go to the Steelers,” Dupree said. “I definitely would’ve ran faster than I ran at the Combine and I would’ve been a higher pick.”

Even if not running the 40 at his pro day truly impacted his draft stock, he doesn’t seem to have any regrets about it. Dupree ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and NFL Network wrote that Dupree’s pro day showing helped raise his stock. There’s certainly the possibility that a faster 40 time could’ve led to him being drafted higher than he was.

The Steelers had clear interest in Dupree, sending then-outside linebackers coach Joey Porter along with Tomlin to his pro day. Kentucky’s other draft prospect that year was EDGE Za’Darius Smith, who recently retired after a successful 10-year career, so Porter accompanying Tomlin to Lexington made a lot of sense regardless.

Dupree was the third EDGE off the board in 2015 after Dante Fowler went No. 3 and Vic Beasley went No. 8. It’s unlikely a strong 40 would’ve raised his draft stock enough to make him a top-10 pick, but maybe it would’ve caught the eye of a team a little bit ahead of the Steelers, leading to them to make a different selection. It is an interesting “what-if,” but ultimately things worked out for the best for both Dupree and the Steelers.

In six seasons with Pittsburgh, Dupree registered 39.5 sacks before cashing in on a big contract with the Tennessee Titans. He had a solid 10-year career, and it’s one that could’ve started very differently had Mike Tomlin not been at his Pro Day.