It won’t happen this year but before the end of the decade, the NFL draft should run through Pittsburgh. During the season, rumors persisted that the league was considering Pittsburgh as a host for an upcoming draft, the marquee event of football’s offseason.
Speaking on the topic during his year-end “State of the Steelers” address with reporters, team President Art Rooney II said he believes that Pittsburgh will host the event sooner than later. That’s what he told a gaggle of media members as shared by The Trib’s Joe Rutter.
“Not too distant future” is the key phrase from Rooney. In early November, reporting from 93.7 The Fan indicated the league was doing its homework on the city, scoping out possible locations and Pittsburgh’s layout. All with the consideration of picking Pittsburgh to host the 2026 NFL Draft, the league scheduling future destinations two years in advance.
Via 93.7 The Fan, here’s Rooney’s full commentary, noting the city plans to bid on a future draft.
“We’re I would say deep in the process of preparing a bid to bring the draft to Pittsburgh. I think we’re optimistic that we’ll bring it here in the not too distant future.”
The 2024 NFL Draft in April will take place in Detroit. Next year’s event will occur in Green Bay. For decades, the league held each draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. But after a scheduling conflict threatened to push the draft back weeks, the league decided to change its yearly location and send each draft on a tour across the country. It’s proven to be wildly successful with record numbers at each location, a must-see event for fans. The only exception was the 2020 NFL Draft, held virtually due to the pandemic.
While not confirmed, all signs point to Pittsburgh holding the draft in the next few years, likely in 2026. The NFL will announce the location of that year’s event during this year’s draft, adding an extra storyline to what will be an important draft for GM Omar Khan and the Steelers.
