NFL Draft

Writing Contributor: Steven Wilson

The NFL Draft brought a ton of excitement to the city of Pittsburgh. The draft took place outside of Acrisure Stadium from April 23rd to 25th, and also had a lot of activities for fans over in Point State Park. The draft brought fans from all over the country to the city of Pittsburgh for a few days. The city and the NFL have been working together for the past 2 years on coming here and getting everything perfect. The city has worked on a makeover, from painting its famous bridges to redoing roads for fans coming into town. This was a highly anticipated draft with favored QB Fernando Mendoza being drafted 1st overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza shocked the country this past season, bringing Indiana University to a big 10 championship and also winning the national championship, and Mendoza himself won the Heisman Trophy. Pittsburgh set the record for attendance for the draft. The first night, there were over 320,000 fans, and over the 3 days, there were over 805,000 fans. In the first round, a story broke from ESPN’s Adam Schefter saying the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the phone with wide receiver Makai Lemon from USC, telling him he was going to be selected by them with the 21st overall pick, and whi;le they were on the phone, Lemon was confused why he was receiving a call from the Philadelphia Eagles. Turns out the Eagles made a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, which held the 20th pick, and the Eagles selected Lemon. The Steelers ended up selecting Max Iheanachor, an Offensive Tackle from Arizona State. He has a lot of upside, but a shocking thing is that he didn’t start playing football until 2021 in junior college.

As the draft went on, the Pittsburgh Steelers kept adding players to try to improve the team for next season. Even though they missed out on Lemon, getting an offensive tackle like Iheanachor could end up being really important, especially for protecting the quarterback and improving the run game. A lot of fans were surprised by the pick at first, but it shows the Steelers are thinking long-term and not just going for big names.

Besides just the picks, the whole weekend felt like a huge event for the city. There were fans everywhere, and the energy downtown was crazy. People were wearing jerseys from all different teams, and it honestly felt like a mix of a football game and a festival. Events around Point State Park gave fans things to do all day, and at night, everyone was focused on the draft stage.

The draft also gave a lot of younger players a chance to see what’s possible. Watching players get drafted and celebrate with their families is something a lot of kids look up to, especially if they play football themselves. It made the whole event feel bigger than just the NFL—it was about people reaching their goals.

Overall, the 2026 NFL Draft was a huge success for Pittsburgh. The city showed it can handle big events, and it gave fans a weekend they won’t forget anytime soon. Now, the focus shifts to the upcoming NFL season to see how these draft picks actually perform on the field.