Rooney: 'A lot of work to do' for Pittsburgh's NFL Draft
In just 346 days, the NFL Draft is coming to Pittsburgh. And now, there’ll be a daily reminder.
The NFL Draft Pittsburgh Host Committee revealed this afternoon a countdown clock, placed on the Great Lawn of the North Shore:
CHRIS HALICKE / DKPS
Posing in front of the NFL Draft countdown clock on the North Shore (L-R): Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Art Rooney II, Visit Pittsburgh CEO Jerad Bachar.
The 6-foot wide clock, which includes the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the 2026 NFL Draft, is on an 18-foot-tall steel beam and was created by two city-based firms, Actual Size and Carpenters Connection.
The beam was inspired by the Sister Bridges along the Allegheny River, with 212 engraved notches. One side represents the Western Pennsylvania high school football programs and the other represents the 90 neighborhoods within Pittsburgh's city limits.
CHRIS HALICKE / DKPS
CHRIS HALICKE / DKPS
"We went on the clock at the end of the Green Bay draft," Rooney said. "This clock will remind everybody day in and day out that not only are we going to have a lot of fun, but we've got a lot of work to do over the next year."
The work in preparation for the NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh in 2026 is already underway. The host committee sent a contingent to Green Bay to learn more about what will be needed for the biggest event in the city's history.
Locally, Downtown and Point State Park are undergoing multiple renovation projects. Allegheny County has been in contact with the 10 surrounding counties in southwestern Pennsylvania to prepare for the multitude of visitors.
"Expect your hotel rooms to be booked," said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. "We are definitely all in this together."
The 2025 NFL Draft was held in Green Bay, Wis., with an estimated 600,000 fans attending over the course of the three-day event, second to more than the 775,000 that attended the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit. Pittsburgh could see between 500,000 to 700,000, projecting a potential economic impact of $100-200 million for the local community.
Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey was a little more ambitious with his projection.
"I believe we'll get 1 million people in this region," Gainey said. "It'll be the biggest one the NFL has ever seen."
"Im going to buy a boat," Rooney said. "For the draft, we're going to be downriver here on the South Side with Omar [Khan] and crew trying to draft players while everything's happening over here. I think to get here, I'm going to need a boat because there's going to be so many people around here that I won't be able to get here. I might be in the market for a boat this year."
Regardless of how many people show up, it will undoubtedly be the biggest event in the city's history. The NFL Draft has become a spectacle unlike any other, only second to the Super Bowl on the league's calendar. Several months prior to the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers will be hosting the NFL's first ever regular season game in Dublin, Ireland.
It's a big and very busy year for both the franchise and the city. With a little less than a year until Roger Goodell walks onto the stage that'll be propped up on the North Shore, there's still a lot more work to do.
"What this is really going to be about is having fun," said Rooney. "It you talk to anybody that's been to the draft recently, the contingent we just had in Green Bay talked about how much fun people were having in Green Bay. Well, this is going to be about talking about how much fun we're going to have in Pittsburgh. And it's not just going to be for one weekend. It's going to be talking about how much fun it is to live here; how much fun it is visit here. So, we have a whole year now to talk about this. And this clock that we're going to unveil is going to remind us about that every day. We're going to be talking about our city, this region. We're talking about our city around the world as we announce that we are playing a game in Ireland this year. So, there's so many great things that are coming together in this upcoming year. It'll be a busy year, but it'll be a great year for the City of Pittsburgh and for Western Pennsylvania."
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25, 2026.
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Chris Halicke
9:25 pm - 05.12.2025North ShoreRooney: 'A lot of work to do' for Pittsburgh's NFL Draft
In just 346 days, the NFL Draft is coming to Pittsburgh. And now, there’ll be a daily reminder.
The NFL Draft Pittsburgh Host Committee revealed this afternoon a countdown clock, placed on the Great Lawn of the North Shore:
CHRIS HALICKE / DKPS
Posing in front of the NFL Draft countdown clock on the North Shore (L-R): Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Art Rooney II, Visit Pittsburgh CEO Jerad Bachar.
The 6-foot wide clock, which includes the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the 2026 NFL Draft, is on an 18-foot-tall steel beam and was created by two city-based firms, Actual Size and Carpenters Connection.
The beam was inspired by the Sister Bridges along the Allegheny River, with 212 engraved notches. One side represents the Western Pennsylvania high school football programs and the other represents the 90 neighborhoods within Pittsburgh's city limits.
CHRIS HALICKE / DKPS
CHRIS HALICKE / DKPS
"We went on the clock at the end of the Green Bay draft," Rooney said. "This clock will remind everybody day in and day out that not only are we going to have a lot of fun, but we've got a lot of work to do over the next year."
The work in preparation for the NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh in 2026 is already underway. The host committee sent a contingent to Green Bay to learn more about what will be needed for the biggest event in the city's history.
Locally, Downtown and Point State Park are undergoing multiple renovation projects. Allegheny County has been in contact with the 10 surrounding counties in southwestern Pennsylvania to prepare for the multitude of visitors.
"Expect your hotel rooms to be booked," said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. "We are definitely all in this together."
The 2025 NFL Draft was held in Green Bay, Wis., with an estimated 600,000 fans attending over the course of the three-day event, second to more than the 775,000 that attended the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit. Pittsburgh could see between 500,000 to 700,000, projecting a potential economic impact of $100-200 million for the local community.
Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey was a little more ambitious with his projection.
"I believe we'll get 1 million people in this region," Gainey said. "It'll be the biggest one the NFL has ever seen."
"Im going to buy a boat," Rooney said. "For the draft, we're going to be downriver here on the South Side with Omar [Khan] and crew trying to draft players while everything's happening over here. I think to get here, I'm going to need a boat because there's going to be so many people around here that I won't be able to get here. I might be in the market for a boat this year."
Regardless of how many people show up, it will undoubtedly be the biggest event in the city's history. The NFL Draft has become a spectacle unlike any other, only second to the Super Bowl on the league's calendar. Several months prior to the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers will be hosting the NFL's first ever regular season game in Dublin, Ireland.
It's a big and very busy year for both the franchise and the city. With a little less than a year until Roger Goodell walks onto the stage that'll be propped up on the North Shore, there's still a lot more work to do.
"What this is really going to be about is having fun," said Rooney. "It you talk to anybody that's been to the draft recently, the contingent we just had in Green Bay talked about how much fun people were having in Green Bay. Well, this is going to be about talking about how much fun we're going to have in Pittsburgh. And it's not just going to be for one weekend. It's going to be talking about how much fun it is to live here; how much fun it is visit here. So, we have a whole year now to talk about this. And this clock that we're going to unveil is going to remind us about that every day. We're going to be talking about our city, this region. We're talking about our city around the world as we announce that we are playing a game in Ireland this year. So, there's so many great things that are coming together in this upcoming year. It'll be a busy year, but it'll be a great year for the City of Pittsburgh and for Western Pennsylvania."
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25, 2026.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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