The Steelers are already looking past the board and toward the city. General Manager Omar Khan and Head Coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday the team is focused on who it will select with its 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, even as Pittsburgh prepares to host the league showcase across the North Shore, Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park.
Khan said the Draft coming to Pittsburgh is long overdue, and McCarthy said Western Pennsylvania will have a chance to show itself off. Both described the event as a citywide moment, with McCarthy saying it will bring excitement to Pittsburgh and his family and Khan saying he expects the NFL to leave proud of what it sees here.
That matters because this is not just a backdrop for football talk. The 2026 NFL Draft will stretch across multiple parts of the city, with the Draft Theater and stage set around Acrisure Stadium and Steelers Country opening at Point State Park as a 12,000-square-foot interactive landing spot for fans of all ages.
Inside that space, the Steelers Nation Unite Bar will feature rotating locations from Steelers bars around the world, while the Immersive Fan Cave is modeled after a 1970s-inspired Pittsburgh basement. The area will also include a Steelers Six Super Bowl Rings Display, live Q&As with Steelers legends and current players, and the Steelers Merchandise trailer throughout Draft weekend.
The team also has two Countdown Shows planned, one Thursday, April 23, from 7-8 p.m. and another Friday, April 24, from 6-7 p.m. McCarthy said he will be in the draft room for Year 33 and will not go to the Draft, though he did spend a day at last year’s event in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
For Pittsburgh, the weekend is shaping up as a showcase as much as a football event. For the Steelers, it is a work trip with 12 picks attached, and a chance to make the league’s biggest offseason stage feel like a homecoming.
