US EditionA Record Number of People Attended the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Here's the Total.
The league said the first-day crowd topped the previous mark by more than 45,000 as fans filled the North Shore.
- On Thursday, Pittsburgh set a Round 1 NFL Draft attendance record with more than 320,000 fans, surpassing Detroit's previous mark of 275,000 set in 2024.
- The Draft Theater on the North Shore outside Acrisure Stadium reached capacity Thursday evening, forcing officials to redirect the massive crowd toward the stadium to watch the opening round.
- Las Vegas Raiders selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, while David Bailey and Jeremiyah Love rounded out the top three selections of the 2026 draft.
- Hometown fans expressed disappointment when the Steelers selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st pick, having hoped for a playmaker instead.
- Rounds 2 and 3 continue Friday in Pittsburgh as the 2026 NFL Draft works toward selecting 257 players over the three-day event.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Steelers underwhelmed on one of the most exciting days in Pittsburgh history
PITTSBURGH — When Jerome Bettis made his way to the podium Thursday night, I, along with thousands of others in the crowd on the North Shore, waited with excitement to see what would happen. I held my phone high, video…
Record crowd highlights electric first night of NFL draft in Pittsburgh
Day 1 of the NFL draft has come and gone, and while some things went as expected — like Fernando Mendoza being selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders — there was still an unexpected storyline.
Pittsburgh pulls off a flawless Day 1 of the NFL Draft
PITTSBURGH — A sea of mostly black and gold — with a decent showing of Baltimore purple, Buffalo red, white, and blue, and Cleveland Brown — showed up in force Thursday in Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft, so much so that it broke the attendance record set in Detroit two years ago. “Pittsburgh, congratulations. You set a record for the first night of the draft: 320,000 people here tonight,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell proudly announced at the end…
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