Nonetheless 11 months away, Artwork Rooney II, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the town are getting ready for the 2026 NFL Draft prefer it’s proper across the nook. Internet hosting the NFL’s marquee offseason occasion subsequent April, Rooney spoke throughout a Monday occasion the place a clock downtown was unveiled to rely down the times.
“That is actually going to be about, I believe, is about having enjoyable,” Rooney stated in feedback captured and shared by 93.7 The Fan. “In case you discuss to anyone who has been to the draft lately, the contingent we simply had in Inexperienced Bay talked about how a lot enjoyable folks had been having in Inexperienced Bay. Nicely, that is going to be about speaking about how a lot enjoyable we’re going to have in Pittsburgh.”
Rooney and the town made a full-court press to the NFL to place a future draft in Pittsburgh. Final 12 months, they had been formally awarded. It’ll be solely the second time the workforce has hosted it, the primary coming in 1948 when the draft was a far cry from the occasion it’s at the moment.
The draft has turn into a wildly standard occasion, with crowds within the a whole bunch of 1000’s throughout only a three-day weekend. Pittsburgh has teased upwards of 1 million attending subsequent 12 months. If that’s the case, it could be a draft report. This can be a lofty aim, however one doable given the town’s central location to so many different soccer cities: Buffalo, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Washington D.C., all simply a few hours’ drive away.
Although the 2026 draft will come and go over 72 hours, Rooney pointed to the lasting impressions the occasion could make.
“It’s not simply going to be one weekend,” he stated. “It’s going to be speaking about how a lot enjoyable it’s to reside right here, how a lot enjoyable it’s to go to right here. Now, we’ve got a complete 12 months to speak about this.”
There’s no higher approach to promote the town than a weekend just like the draft. It’s good for the native economic system to see a surge of gross sales all through the week. However in the long run, Pittsburgh might turn into a vacation spot for followers to take journeys to or transfer to.
Domestically, the 2026 draft is also one the place Pittsburgh lands the franchise’s quarterback of the long run. Armed with possible 5 picks within the first three rounds and a transparent gap on the place, the Steelers might aggressively pursue certainly one of subsequent 12 months’s high names. The town’s backdrop received’t be the first motive for it, but it surely actually doesn’t harm and creates a probably storybook end result. Pittsburgh simply has to pick the appropriate man. Then, the town may have enjoyable for for much longer than draft weekend.
