Pittsburgh gets the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night, with Round 1 set to open at 8 p.m. ET from Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. The league’s annual selection meeting returns to the city for the first time since 1948, and all 32 teams will begin the three-day sprint to fill their rosters with 257 picks.
, ABC, NFL Network and the App will carry live coverage, and for the first time ’s draft presentation will also stream on Disney+ for subscribers, alongside Hulu. That broader reach matters because the draft is no longer just a television event for hard-core football fans; it is a live national stage that can follow a pick from the podium to the phone screens of viewers across the country.
The schedule is tightly packed. Round 1 starts Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m. ET, Rounds 2 and 3 are set for Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. ET, and Rounds 4 through 7 begin Saturday, April 25, at 12 p.m. ET. Teams draft in reverse order of the previous season’s standings, and they can trade picks to move up or down, which is why a board that begins in order can turn chaotic in minutes. Each pick comes with between 4 and 8 minutes on the clock depending on the round.
That setup gives Pittsburgh a rare kind of spotlight. It is the first draft the city has hosted since 1948, and the mix of stadium and riverfront setting should make this one feel more like a civic event than a back-room transaction. The league also has been building toward the weekend on air: NFL Draft Daily premiered on February 11, 2026, and airs weekdays at 3 p.m. ET before pausing for draft weekend.
Field Yates hosts the companion show, with Mel Kiper Jr. and Louis Riddick on the panel, and Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Mike Tannenbaum making regular appearances. Adam Schefter contributes breaking news and reporting as warranted. The program returns for four final episodes from April 27 to April 30, keeping the conversation alive after the last selection is made and the next wave of roster moves begins.
The first night in Pittsburgh should deliver the draft’s cleanest theater and its sharpest surprises. By Saturday, the shape of the class will be set, but the pressure on teams will only start to show.