The NFL on Feb 3, unveiled its first concept renderings for the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, revealing a sprawling, two-site draft campus designed to showcase the city’s iconic skyline, riverfronts and sports heritage.
The league, in partnership with VisitPITTSBURGH, announced the draft footprint will stretch from the North Shore near Acrisure Stadium to Downtown’s Point State Park, creating one of the largest and most scenic draft settings in league history.
The Draft Theater and Main Stage — the centerpiece of the three-day event — will be located outside Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore. Organizers said the area will span more than the size of a football field, though final capacity figures have not yet been determined.
Point State Park, at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, will host portions of the NFL Draft Experience fan festival. The festival is expected to include interactive exhibits, youth-focused programming, and food and beverage offerings aimed at fans of all ages.
To connect the two sites, several Pittsburgh-specific features will be incorporated into the draft campus. The Roberto Clemente Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic and converted into a pedestrian walkway, allowing fans to travel between locations on foot. The Gateway Clipper Fleet will also provide river transportation, offering water-based travel between the North Shore and Downtown.
Steelers leadership and local officials emphasized that Pittsburgh’s landscape and history played a major role in shaping the campus design.
“Pittsburgh’s combination of rivers, bridges, and skyline gives us a natural stage,” team and city representatives said, noting that the setting will present a distinctive backdrop for the global television audience.
The draft is scheduled for April 23–25, 2026, and is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region, continuing a recent trend of record-setting attendance at NFL draft host cities.
The NFL Draft has evolved into one of the league’s premier offseason events, blending player selections with large-scale fan festivals, concerts, and community activations. Pittsburgh will join a growing list of cities that have used the event to drive tourism and showcase local culture.
Additional details about transportation, security, and final layouts are expected to be released closer to the event.