Travis Kelce recalls what Mike Tomlin did to ‘intimidate’ him in Steelers draft meeting

Travis Kelce was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 63 overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft but the tight end did meet with Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is a decision that the Chiefs certainly will not regret given the number of years they have had out of the veteran. Kelce has turned out to be one of the best tight ends to ever play the game and the other teams in the league passed on the opportunity to draft him at the time. The start of the 2026 season has seen the 37-year-old make a strong start to the year with 246 yards and two touchdowns to his name. Despite his strong relationship with Andy Reid at Arrowhead Stadium, Mike Tomlin is another coach who could have been a great fit for Kelce. Speaking to the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Kelce recalled how Tomlin attempted to intimidate him during their meeting at the combine back in 2013. How Mike Tomlin used Mean Joe Greene to intimidate Travis Kelce Heading out of college, there were some major concerns hanging over Kelce’s behaviour off the field. It is famously claimed that Jason Kelce made a promise to Reid that his brother would not step out of line if the Chiefs drafted him. The tight end did meet with other teams and the Steelers had a unique method in an attempt to try and put Kelce in his place. “I remember meeting you for the first time. It felt like I had known you forever, and it was during the combine. I had an official, so we were in one of the hotel rooms, and we were going over film. I remember there’s not a lot of light in those hotel rooms, but there’s always the one wall light. For whatever reason, you put “Mean Joe Greene” right under that light, and it just felt like I was being intimidated the entire time. Did you put him back there to intimidate guys?” said Kelce on the New Heights podcast. https://open.spotify.com/embed?uri=spotify%3Aepisode%3A78EhEFfadLHjjHI2u2jzQk “By design. First of all, hey, seriously, you’re not a real football guy if you didn’t recognise who that was. That’s what I’m saying. Yeah, I hear you. If you did recognise who it was, then it certainly was a component of intimidation. Hey, I remember it. I remember it perfectly. You walked out of the room, and I was like, “Man, there’s a little bit of a risky edge to that guy, but I want a piece of that”,” Tomlin replied. The Steelers selected Jarvis Jones (17) and Le’Veon Bell (48) with their opening two picks instead of Kelce. Pittsburgh did not even draft a tight end in that draft despite Tomlin’s suggestion that he was keen to make a move for Kelce. It is a decision that a lot of teams have had to live with over the years but the Steelers’ technique to use Joe Greene was certainly an interesting ploy on a player like Kelce who arrived to his meeting with questions hanging over him. Pittsburgh Steelers LB shares what’s ‘not fun’ about being Aaron Rodgers’ teammate Nick Wright thinks there’s a quarterback in the NFL who ‘hasn’t been an elite player in four years’ Terrell Owens thinks ESPN needs to punish Stephen A. Smith for mocking Lane Johnson’s mental health