NORTH SHORE — After months of hype and anticipation, as well as no small amount of dread for the parking and traffic issues it would cause, the 2026 NFL Draft finally arrived on the Northside with three days full of football mania.
It was the first time the draft was held in Pittsburgh since 1948, and brought with it a surge of out-of-towners looking to support their team as they made decisions which would, for better or worse, shape the upcoming season.
Two such visitors to the Steel City were Steve and Jeff Nagel, twin brothers from Dayton, Ohio. They were here supporting the Cincinnati Bengals, having held season tickets for the team for the past 44 years.
Despite the Bengals being rivals of the Steelers, the brothers had a positive impression of the city, with Jeff calling it “fabulous.”
“(It’s) such a beautiful city,” Steve concurred. “It’s just that we hate it from September to January.”
As for what they were hoping to see out of their team for the draft, the brothers had a very specific focus.
“Defense, defense, defense,” they said in tandem. The pair were among the “Inner Circle” for the Bengals at the draft. Each of the 32 teams in the NFL are able to select a group of fans to get tickets for an up-close seat during the draft process.
Joining them in the Inner Circle, though for a different team, were Jeff Davis and Rick Gozur. When it comes to out-of-towners visiting for the draft, few can say they’ve come as far as Davis, who hails from Los Angeles and was part of the LA Rams Inner Circle. Gozur is a friend of Davis’ and formerly lived in Los Angeles, but now lives in the much-closer city of Columbus.
Davis said he thought Pittsburgh’s organization for the draft was “well thought out,” noting that the crowds and traffic did not seem overwhelming. He also complimented the look of the surroundings.
“This city is wonderful,” he said. Davis and Gozur were hoping the Rams picked up “any Ohio State (University) player,” the pair being alumni from the school.
For both the Nagels and Davis and Gozur, the 2026 NFL Draft was the first they ever experienced. This was not the case for Casey Gullikson, of Asheville, North Carolina. he Pittsburgh draft was a very different experience from his previous times attending the event.
“This is my first time as a fan,” he said. Gullikson formerly worked for the NFL in product operations, with the draft representing a flurry of activity and hard work. This time, he was able to enjoy the event from the other side of the equation.
Despite living in North Carolina, Gullikson was backing the Minnesota Vikings during the draft. He held a particular hope that the team would pick up Kenyon Sadiq, a tight end from Oregon who ended up going to the New York Jets.
It was not just out-of-towners enjoying draft activities. Sean Sassaman, a Perry South resident, was among those who was out and about trying to take in as many draft events as possible. Sassaman spoke with The Chronicle at NOVA Place’s Draft Weekend Kickoff, held on the first day of the draft, April 23.
“It’s been fun watching all the different projects,” said Sassaman of seeing the build up to the draft on the Northside.
Living relatively close to the festivities, Sassaman was able to avoid the high parking prices around the draft. Parking spots were regularly listing prices of $50 or more, with one Chronicle reporter even seeing a sign for $200.
Despite being a Pittsburgher, Sassaman was backing the Denver Broncos at the draft, with his hopes on the team picking up a “good inside linebacker.” However, Sassaman enjoyed seeing all the love directed toward his place of residence as well.
“It’s really nice to see all the Pittsburgh pride,” he said. The Priory hosted a draft watch party on April 23 with four former Pittsburgh Steelers in attendance: John Banaszak, Ted Petersen, Jon Kolb and Randy Grossman.
As a Northside business owner, Priory President and CEO John Graf said preparing for the draft was something of a challenge.
“The hard part is we don’t really have a template for it,” Graf said. “We’ve never had an event like this in Pittsburgh. We’re doing our best to prepare for it based on other big events, Taylor Swift probably being the most recent.”
He overall thought things had come together smoothly despite a few “hiccups” on the city’s part in terms of parking restrictions and street closures.
As for what he hoped to see out of the Steelers in the draft, Graf was most hoping for a new wide receiver.
On the smaller scale of things, Calvary United Methodist Church hosted a free block party on April 25, the last day of the draft.
