The 2026 NFL Draft opens tonight in Pittsburgh, and Jerome Bettis will walk onto the stage on the North Shore to announce the Steelers’ No. 1 pick.
Bettis said the moment means a lot to him, calling it a special honor to be asked to announce the first-round pick in the city where he played. He said he is “very thankful for the opportunity” and called Pittsburgh a “coming out party” for the city on a worldwide stage.
“Of all the great players that have played for this historic franchise, for them to ask me to do it is special,” Bettis said. “And it being here in Pittsburgh. What more could you ask for.”
The former Steelers star said he is excited for the fans to show the country what they are like and to put their support for the team on display. He also said he wants people to see Pittsburgh itself, which he described as “a brilliant, incredible, beautiful city.”
Bettis will not make the announcement alone. He will be joined on stage by Jerome Bettis Leadership Award winners, including football and flag football players, as the draft’s opening night puts the NFL’s spotlight on the Steelers’ home city.
That local stage matters because the draft is not only a league event with 32 teams making selections. It is also a showcase for Pittsburgh, with the Steelers using the moment to connect their present with some of the most recognizable names in franchise history.
John Stallworth will carry that thread into night two, when he announces the Steelers’ second-round pick. Stallworth was part of the 1974 Steelers draft class alongside Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann and Mike Webster, and Donnie Shell arrived that year as an undrafted free agent.
“It’s special that I would be asked, and certainly what makes it special is when you look back on the history of the Steelers in the Draft, particularly in my era,” Stallworth said. “We had some great drafts. I was a part of one considered to be really, really good.”
He said his role is a chance to represent “the success over the years” of Steelers draft classes and the era that brought those players in under Chuck Noll and Bill Nunn. Stallworth said his own career is a good example of what was happening then.
Stallworth will also take part in a moment honoring Nunn, the legendary Steelers scout who helped identify players from HBCUs, including Stallworth. Nunn was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021, and his work remains tied to one of the most celebrated periods in Steelers history.
For Pittsburgh, the draft’s opening night is both a football event and a civic one. Bettis gets the first word, Stallworth follows on night two, and the city gets a rare chance to present its past and present to a national audience at the same time.
