As an aspiring journalist for the National Football League (NFL), attending last year’s NFL draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin made it clear– I can’t miss a draft in person again. This year’s NFL Draft was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I spent a total of 14 hours on the first night of the 2026 NFL Draft with roughly 320,000 people standing behind me.
I was up bright and early and arrived at Acrisire stadium at 9:30 a.m. Once the gates and blockades were released in the morning, there was more waiting as I waited another eight hours from noon to 8:00 p.m. so I could be front and center as much as I could once the first round had started. The attendance in Pittsburgh crushed every record previously held by any draft (previously hosted by the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit) and it was incredible to be a part of history.
After traveling to Green Bay Wisconsin last year with my sports media friend Adam Blake, this time I was traveling alone to Pittsburgh for the draft. However, the Steelers fans that I met there in the crowd in Pittsburgh made the experience unforgettable and the first round is always a treat to witness live in person.
This year’s draft was full of surprises, which made it a little different compared to the previous drafts. The draft had an obvious #1 pick in Heisman winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University being drafted to the Las Vegas Raiders. From there, there was a debate at pick #2 with what the New York Jets were going to do: David Bailey or linebacker from Ohio State University Arvell Reese. Ultimately, both players ended up on both New York teams regardless, with the New York Jets selecting David Bailey out of Texas Tech and linebacker Arvell Reese, ended up at pick #5 to the Giants.
This could end up being one of the more interesting storylines coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft,as this creates a new found rivalry between the players, (both defensive players taken in the top 5 of the draft). When reporters asked edge rusher David Bailey which team specifically he was most excited to compete against and beat up on, he instantly called out the New York Giants saying “Giants probably, yeah”(Bailey). We will see how that unfolds and how all of these team and player pairings go. That was just one of the storylines from this year’s draft and there were so many moments that had you in awe.
Imagine being a collegiate player, waiting for your name to be called all night and you finally get that phone call. Your family and friends around you are ecstatic and are jumping up and down with joy as you are trying to hear the voice on the other line… suddenly your representative agent taps you on the shoulder and says wait you are getting yet ANOTHER phone call from a different area code number. It looks like a Philadelphia area code.
“Hold up, why is Philly calling me?” USC Wide receiver Makai Lemon exclaimed.
The Philadelphia Eagles, on night one, made one of the most hilarious leap frog trades I have seen in recent memory to draft a player. General Manager Howie Roseman from the Eagles explained to Wide Receiver Makai Lemon that his team had just traded up for him and that he was now the newest member of the Philadelphia Eagles. This infuriated the Steelers fans around me. Once NFL commissioner Roger Goodell read off the name Makai Lemon being drafted to the Eagles and despite the Pittsburgh Steelers being the very next pick, the crowd lost it once they realized that the Eagles just traded for a draft spot right in front of them to take the wide receiver they were going to choose. The Steelers being on the phone at the exact same time as the Eagles was certainly a story to be heard from this year’s draft. After this,the Pittsburgh Steelers then were forced to make a different selection and ended up with Offensive Lineman Max Iheanachor. The crowd embraced him as they were waiting for the Steelers’ selection all night to see who the newest member of the Steel City would be.
The 2026 NFL Draft was yet another great Draft. It seems like the theme of every draft is that all the teams in the NFL are trying to “win the offseason” and improve their team. But as I always say, it does not matter what pick you end up being but rather, it matters what you do once you are on the field and now the ball is in your court.
I think an interesting way to think of it would be, would Aaron Rodgers be the same Aaron Rodgers he is today if he was not drafted by the Green Bay Packers? Probably not, and it will certainly be interesting to see how all of these players do and I wish nothing but success for the 2026 NFL draft class. If you love football and have never attended the NFL Draft, I encourage you and welcome you to experience this fascinating journey. Onto Washington D.C next year for the 2027 NFL draft.
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