Mike Tomlin was the one who brought him to his attention, but once he laid eyes on him, it was former wide receivers coach Darryl Drake who was making the sales pitch for Toledo wide receiver Diontae Johnson, whom the Pittsburgh Steelers would ultimately draft in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, with the 66th-overall selection.
He would only go on to lead the team in both receptions and receiving touchdowns as a rookie, and put up very respectable numbers despite playing nearly the entire year with complete novice quarterbacks.