Tennessee Titans McHugh was selected by the
Tennessee Titans in
2004, in the seventh round (241st overall). He was cut at the end of
training camp.
Green Bay Packers McHugh signed with the
Green Bay Packers as a
free agent. He made his NFL debut in the Packers' September 13, 2004 game at
Carolina.
Detroit Lions The next season, McHugh signed a free agent contract with the
Detroit Lions. He saw action in 3 games that season. The Lions allocated him to the
Frankfurt Galaxy for
NFL Europa's 2006 season. He would play in Frankfurt's
World Bowl XIV victory over the
Amsterdam Admirals. McHugh returned to Detroit for the
2006 NFL season. He was momentarily elevated to the #1 tight end slot due to a wrist injury to
Casey FitzSimmons in the preseason, but found himself on the team's practice squad at the start of the season. A week 7 injury to fullback
Cory Schlesinger moved McHugh back onto the active roster as a fullback on October 22, 2006. McHugh saw action at fullback on that week versus the
New York Jets. His first career reception came against the
Atlanta Falcons on November 5, 2006 for seven yards. He would appear in 6 games in 2006, starting 3, and finishing with 3 receptions for 25 yards. McHugh saw increased playing time in
2007, mostly back at tight end. He played in 15 games and finished the season with 252 yards on 17 receptions. He was released by the Lions on August 31, 2008 at the end of training camp.
Pittsburgh Steelers McHugh signed with the
Pittsburgh Steelers on September 3, 2008. He would dress for the Steelers' week 2 game versus
Cleveland. An ankle injury to
Carey Davis prompted McHugh's move to fullback, where he would be the starter for the Steelers' week 7 game versus
Cincinnati. He would be used primarily as a fullback for the remainder of the season and throughout the playoffs, making 3 receptions, totaling 24 yards. In his first season at Pittsburgh, McHugh won the AFC Championship and ultimately
Super Bowl XLIII, earning McHugh his first
Super Bowl ring. During the two-week period leading up to the Super Bowl, McHugh gained notoriety for having been cut by the Lions, deemed not good enough to play on a team that
ultimately went 0-16 for the season, but good enough to play on a
Super Bowl team such as Pittsburgh and make major contributions as a blocker for
Willie Parker and
Ben Roethlisberger. ==Personal life==