The 2026 NFL Draft Guide for Washington County Football Fans

 

At the NFL Draft Briefing & Brainstorming Session
 at Acrisure Stadium in February of 2025

The NFL Draft will take over Pittsburgh April 23 - April 25, bringing with it a mix of football-related activities, road closures, and other travel disruptions. The information provided here is for locals who are planning to visit the city for the draft activities. 

As a Washington County commissioner and a member of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, I have attended National Football League briefings in preparation for the league’s second biggest event next to the Super Bowl. According to the NFL's website, "the three-day event is expected to draw representatives from all 32 NFL teams, top player prospects from the most iconic football conferences in the nation and between 500,000 to 700,000 fans. The economic impact of previous Draft destinations has ranged between $120 million to upwards of $213 million..." In preparation for this event, the SPC published this guide to the draft: https://www.spcregion.org/2026/03/31/the-nfl-draft-is-almost-here-your-complete-transportation-guide-for-the-event/

The Pittsburgh skyline in April of 2026

While the actual draft-related activities are free, visitors should be prepared to pay dearly for lodging, parking, food, and drinks while visiting Pittsburgh. According to the Visit Pittsburgh website, you must register for free access to the Draft Campus by using the NFL OnePass app or by visiting NFL.com/DraftAccess at which point you will receive a QR code that will be scanned upon entry. If you do not have a smartphone, on-site registration will be available through the Fan Services staff. It must also be noted that attendees will pass through security screening when entering the Draft campus. The NFL Draft follows a clear bag policy consistent with NFL events and the policy can be viewed, along with the policy of prohibited items, by visiting NFL.com

Once you have a Draft Access pass, you will be able to watch a total of 257 draft picks spread over seven rounds at Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium. Click on the following link to see the complete 2026 NFL Draft round-by-round order; the compensatory draft picks; and the rules of the draft: https://operations.nfl.com/journey-to-the-nfl/the-nfl-draft/2026-nfl-draft/

Chase Mitchell courtesy of the
 Vanderbilt University website. 

In Washington County, the hotels are prepared for Pittsburgh’s over-flow of guests, and the city of Washington is hosting a pre-draft party from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22 to honor Chase Mitchell, a prospective draft pick who is a Washington High School graduate and offensive lineman at Vanderbilt University. This event will be held at the Main Street Farmers Market Pavilion in downtown Washington. Click here to read more about Mitchell https://vucommodores.com/roster/chase-mitchell/

Visitors will be able to walk across the Roberto Clemente Bridge,
 which will be closed to vehicle traffic during the draft.

The Visit Pittsburgh website notes that the Draft Theater and Main Stage, where the televised pick selections will take place, will be located just outside of Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. A Fan Festival will be held at Point State Park, and will feature interactive activities, youth programming, food, beverages and immersive NFL exhibits. Fans can use the Roberto Clemente Bridge (a.k.a. the Sixth Steet Bridge which will be closed to vehicle traffic) and the Gateway Clipper Fleet to travel between the two sites. Here is the link to the Gateway Clipper’s shuttle services page: https://www.gatewayclipper.com/shuttle-service/

For information about additional transportation services including city Football Flyer bus routes, light rail Pittsburgh Regional Transit services, and road closures you can visit the Airport Corridor Transportation Association page: https://actapgh.org/getting-to-and-around-the-2026-nfl-draft/ Another resource for transportation information is the Visit Pittsburgh’s link to the NFL Draft: Road Closures & Traffic Changes: https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/nfl-draft-pittsburgh/nfl-draft-central/nfl-draft-pittsburgh-transportation-guide/nfl-draft-road-closures-traffic-changes/

According to the SPC, Sheetz has partnered with PRT to make light rail and the Monongahela Incline completely free from April 23 through 25. The free-fare initiative covers all travel on the Red, Blue, and Silver lines with no tickets, transit cards or apps required to board. Fans can use the Gateway, Wood Street, Steel Plaza or First Avenue stations for rides to North Side Station. Riders should note that Allegheny Station will be closed April 22 through 25 and should plan to use North Side Station instead. 

Because of the planned road closures, Washington County residents might want to park their cars and  consider taking a bus into the city.

Jeff Kotula, Chairman of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency, recommends using Freedom Transit’s normal route, which includes various departing times from Washington County (Jessop Place Park and Ride; Beau Street Park and Ride; and Southpointe Park and Ride) between 12:05 p.m. and 5:25 p.m.  Freedom Transit has also added three return trips from Pittsburgh back to Washington at 10 p.m., 11:30 p.m. and 12:15 p.m. Click here to visit the Freedom Transit website for more information: https://freedom-transit.org/nfldraft/

Kotula pointed out that Freedom Transit is awaiting information from PRT as to where the bus stops will be located downtown, so be sure to check the Freedom Transit website for updates. Freedom Transit bus tickets, which cost $4 one way, can be downloaded from the Freedom Transit app. Cash is also accepted on the bus.

The Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority is also providing routes for the draft and Kotula provided this link for additional information: https://mmvta.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/NFL-Draft-Flyer.pdf

For those who can’t attend the draft, they can watch the picks on the NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and on NFL+ with Round 1 beginning on Thursday, April 23.

Here are some additional links to help you plan your NFL Draft experience:

 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s interactive NFL Draft Guide:

 https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/2026-nfl-draft-pittsburgh/

 

WESA FM’s Draft Guide

https://www.wesa.fm/pittsburgh-2026-nfl-draft

 

WPXI’s Draft Guide

https://www.wpxi.com/nfldraft/

 

 Larry Maggi is a retired trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police, a former Washington County Sheriff, and a member of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, serving over 209,000 constituents in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Larry Maggi

Washington County Commissioner

maggil@co.washington.pa.us

 

 

The Shocking 1978 Mob Hit at a Canton Township Gymnastics Studio

 

Observer-Reporter, Washington, PA, April 28, 1978

The Morning Herald, Uniontown, PA, Nov. 16, 1949

Melvin Pike of Uniontown met his match at the end of a shot gun while his 11-year-old daughter looked on in a Canton Township gymnastics studio. When names like Snooky, Codfish, and No Legs surfaced 13 years later, it was clear that the case had all the markings of a mob hit.

On April 19, 1978, a hooded assailant walked into a gymnastics studio on Jefferson Avenue and fired three shotgun blasts of double-ought buckshot at Pike, a long-reputed mobster from Uniontown, Fayette County. Pike’s young daughter watched as her gravely injured father was transported to Washington Hospital, where he died several hours later. It was reported at the time that Pike adored his daughter and drove her to Washington a few times a week for private gymnastic lessons.

Melvin Pike being escorted to a court hearing. The Evening Herald, Uniontown, PA, Dec. 17, 1949

Although I was a state trooper in 1978, I didn’t get involved with the Pike case until 1991, while serving as the troop’s criminal and unsolved homicide investigator.

In Pennsylvania, the state police never close an unsolved murder or “cold case” as they are called today. The state police policy is to have a fresh set of eyes look at the evidence after a certain period of time. Although forensic techniques have always been an important tool to solve cases, I always found it helpful to develop a network of informants to help me gather new information or clues. That’s what helped me shed some light on the Pike case.

This meant I would have to interview informants with connections to the organized crime, because at the time of Pike’s death, Washington County was a hotbed of illegal activity controlled by criminal forces in Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Uniontown. The kingpins from these towns controlled the illegal gambling, drugs, and prostitution that plagued our community.

 

Gerald "Snooky" Walls, Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA Feb. 13, 1997

I decide to start by reinterviewing Gerald “Snooky” Walls, a mob informant from Uniontown. Snooky was a likable and personal individual, whose demeanor defied the two murder convictions in his long criminal record. You would have never guessed that in 1967 he had killed a young Marine on a street corner in Uniontown, was convicted of 2^nd degree murder, and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. Or that in 1995, he punched a Fayette County man in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, where he struck his head on the pavement. The man died in the Brownsville Hospital and Walls fled to Florida to escape arrest. He was apprehended nearly a year later and pleaded no contest to an involuntary manslaughter charge.

For some reason, Snooky was always willing to talk and provide information on cold cases. As we sat down for a long interview, I had to keep in mind that while a character like Snooky can be reliable, his interview needed to be kept in the proper perspective.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette June 25, 2000

Paul "No Legs" Hankish, Instagram, Criminal Underworld Compilation, January 17, 2025

During this interview, Snooky claimed that Robert “Codfish” Bricker of Pittsburgh was the shooter in the Pike slaying. His exact words were, and I quote, “Pike was whacked on orders from Wheeling, West Virginia” by mob kingpin Paul “No Legs” Hankish. The mobster, who earned his nickname when he lost his legs in a car bombing, allegedly ordered the hit on Pike because he suspected he was encroaching on his Fayette County drug operations.

Once I had information from Snooky, I turned my attention to Codfish himself, who was being held at the State Correctional Institution in Somerset County, where he was serving several life sentences for other murder convictions. Codfish, a good-looking and well-groomed man with neatly trimmed hair had striking, cold grey eyes that appeared to be sizing up the situation when he entered the room. I had a notebook in hand, because although his attorney didn’t approve of any recordings of the conversation, I was permitted to take notes.

I believe Codfish was honest in his answers and gave an accurate description of what occurred. He described how he had “worked for various people in the Pittsburgh and Wheeling area” and that the orders to “take care of Melvin Pike from Uniontown who was sticking his nose where it shouldn’t be” came from Wheeling.

Codfish followed Pike for several weeks, learning about his habits and the places he frequented. This is how he knew that Pike would be taking his daughter to gymnastics class in Washington. So, on Wednesday, April 19, 1978, he parked his car at a nearby dairy bar on Jefferson Avenue and waited.

After Pike and his young daughter walked into the gym, Codfish, who was wearing a mask and a long coat, said he walked into the gym carrying a 12-gage shot gun and fired three times into the body of Pike.

The fact that the killing occurred in the presence of Pike’s daughter was hard to fathom, so I asked if it concerned him that children and other bystanders could have been injured.

“I made sure they were out of the way when I shot him, besides I was close enough, I couldn’t miss,” Codfish said, adding that after he shot Pike he calmly walked back to his car and threw the mask and shotgun in the trunk. He bought an ice cream cone at the dairy bar and walked back to the gym to check things out. When the first wave of police and first responders arrived to secure the scene, there was enough activity that he went unnoticed. Eventually, he slowly walked back to his car and left the area.

He assured me that he wasn’t concerned about being seen or identified, because no one was around at the time of the shooting, and he had parked in a location that was hidden from view. He made sure to leave before the State Police investigators arrived at the scene.

Codfish, who seemed rather calm and cool when discussing the murder, did not know Pike well and didn’t show any remorse for his actions. I attempted to interview other convicted associates of Bricker’s, but the requests were denied. It was around 1995 when I discussed the case with the Washington County Attorney’s office. Because Bricker was already serving several life sentences, and had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, it was decided that a prosecution would not be made. Codfish died of cancer on June 24, 2000, in Pittsburgh.

The story of Bricker’s death that ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentioned that he was allegedly involved with five murders with in an 18-month period. The first was the murder of Pike. The same article states that Snooky testified at Bricker’s racketeering trial that he (Bricker) was paid to kill Pike. Bricker was never charged.

Cases like this marked the end of the organized crime era we knew, a narrative glorified by mob movies such as The Godfather and Goodfellas. The bosses of these groups were no longer grooming people to take over and it appeared their grip was fading. Most of the bosses were dying in prison and there was no one to fill their shoes. Although we still have organized crime, it’s headed by different types of organizations and locally there are outlaw motorcycle groups that have filled some of the criminal void. On a larger scale, the technology used by organizations worldwide has had an impact on the way crimes are now committed, with the focus on computer scams, bitcoin payments, and on-line extortion. Last year I witnessed this firsthand as a Washington County Commissioner when the county’s computer system was taken over by a criminal element.

Today, law enforcement still deals with organized crime, but like the element they are fighting, their tools have become more sophisticated and are geared toward a national and worldwide arena.

 

Trooper Larry Maggi

Larry Maggi is a retired trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police, a former Washington County Sheriff, and a member of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, serving over 209,000 constituents in Southwestern Pennsylvania.