The NFL Draft seemingly becomes a bigger and bigger event with each passing year. Detroit hosted the NFL Draft this year and set jaw-dropping attendance records with over 700,000 in attendance over the three-day event. The Pittsburgh Steelers are thrilled that their city has been selected to host an upcoming NFL Draft.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the NFL has officially awarded Pittsburgh the 2026 NFL Draft. It be first draft in Pittsburgh in almost 80 years. Pittsburgh has only hosted one NFL Draft before. It was held in December 1947 ahead of the 1948 NFL season. The draft was located at the former Fort Pitt Hotel, which was located at Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh's “Golden Triangle” district downtown.

Steelers' owner Art Rooney II addressed the media in Nashville to announce the decision. He opened by saying “the roots of pro football are deep in our region.” Rooney II cited local stars like Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Mike Ditka to punctuate his statement.

Pittsburgh was reportedly one of a dozen cities that submitted a bid to host the NFL Draft in either 2026 or 2027. Now their wish is granted and they can prepare to host one of the NFL offseason's biggest events.

Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten previously said that the 2026 NFL Draft would be “if not the largest, one of the largest events to ever be hosted here.”

The 2025 NFL Draft will be located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It will be interesting to see what kind of attendance numbers Green Bay can generate as a city of only ~110,000. If attendance and revenue numbers continue to climb each year, that would be excellent news for Pittsburgh.

Previewing the 2024 NFL season for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers fans have the 2024 NFL season to look forward to in the meantime.

The Steelers have made some solid moves this offseason. They've made a litany of changes on offense that could help propel the team back into the playoffs.

Arthur Smith is the new offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, replacing Matt Canada. Smith joins an offense with question marks at QB that will be answered by a training camp QB battle. The team signed Russell Wilson to a veteran minimum contract after he was released by the Broncos. They also traded a late-round pick to acquire Justin Fields from the Bears. The pair will battle for the Week 1 starting job and should continue to compete throughout the season. Either option should be better than Kenny Pickett.

Pittsburgh made significant investment in their offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft. In fact, the team is projected to start three rookies on the left side of the o-line. This bodes well for the long-term success of the offense. However, it remains a question how long it will take for the offensive line to gel together and play as one unit.

The skill position players remain largely the same. However, rookie Roman Wilson replaces Diontae Johnson after he was traded to the Panthers. The team also invested in depth players like Van Jefferson and special teams ace Cordarrelle Patterson.

The Steelers can be a frisky team in the AFC North if they find their legs on offense early in the season.