The Steelers found their replacement for Richard Mann, hiring Darryl Drake as the team's new receivers coach. Drake signed a two-year contract.
Drake has spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL, most recently with the Arizona Cardinals.
Drake coached Larry Fitzgerald for five seasons, with Fitzgerald finishing second in the NFL with 109 receptions this year, and first in the NFC. Fitzgerald was selected to the Pro Bowl four times in the five seasons Drake was with the Cardinals, including this season.
Before coming to the Cardinals he was the receivers coach for the Chicago Bears from 2004-2012. While with the Bears he worked with Brandon Marshall, who set Chicago team records with 118 catches for 1,508 yards in 2012.
His coaching career began in the collegiate ranks, where he spent 21 years coaching at four different schools. Drake was the receivers coach for six seasons (1998-2003) at the University of Texas, and took on the title of associate head coach during the 2003 season.
Drake was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for one season (1997) at Baylor University. Before that he spent five years coaching receivers the University of Georgia (1992-96) where one of his top players with the Bulldogs was former Steelers receiver Hines Ward.
Drake's career began at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, where he went from graduate assistant (1983-84), to receivers coach (1985-88), secondary coach (1989-90) and passing game coordinator (1991).
Drake played wide at Western Kentucky, where he helped the team win the Ohio Valley Championship his senior year. He spent time in training camp with the Washington Redskins (1979) and Cincinnati Bengals (1983), and played one season (1981) with the Ottawa Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
