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| 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/
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| 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/
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| 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/
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| 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:
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
Washington
County Commissioner
