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Kids running a 40-yard dash and kicking field goals, players lining up for autographs and walking the red carpet, and the Vince Lombardi Trophy on full display for all to see.
These sights — and more — are signatures of the NFL Draft, which Pittsburgh is in the early stages of planning for April 23-25 next year. Draft activities are expected to take over Point State Park and the North Shore, connected by the Allegheny River and incorporating iconic Pittsburgh sights like Acrisure Stadium.
Typically, drafts have two key locations: a main stage where the draft itself takes place and a free fan festival called the Draft Experience.
Officials have yet to confirm specifics of how each location will be used, but documents obtained by Next Generation Newsroom reveal a more detailed picture of where draft activities could be placed.
A stretch of North Shore Riverfront Park and the parking lots bordering West General Robinson Street by Acrisure Stadium will be provided to the NFL rent-free, according to letters of commitment obtained by Next Generation Newsroom through Right-to-Know requests.
The NFL retains the right to select its caterers, concessionaires, and merchandise operators on the reserved sites, according to the letters of commitment.
Aaron Waller, executive director of the Sports & Exhibition Authority and Stadium Authority, signed both of the letters of commitment in February 2024.
Pittsburgh wouldn’t be the first to give venues to the NFL rent-free. Detroit provided Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza, venues for the 2024 draft, to the NFL rent-free as a requirement of the draft agreement, said Marty Dobek, Detroit Sports Commission executive director.
How Riverfront Park will be used is still to be determined, according to people involved with planning the draft.
Since the focus is currently on Green Bay’s NFL draft in April, many ambitious ideas discussed have yet to be fully explored: a drone show, using autonomous vehicles to drive players to the red carpet, and lighting up Downtown buildings with the colors of the teams during picks, those involved with planning the draft said.
Pittsburgh won the bid to host the NFL draft, an annual event where players are selected — drawing hundreds of thousands of people.
Since the NFL moved the draft out of New York City in 2015, cities across the country compete to host the league’s largest offseason event. Last year, Detroit drew a record crowd of nearly 800,000. Green Bay will host the 2025 draft, set for April 24-26.
Now that the draft travels from city to city each year, the event also serves as a local showcase.
In Pittsburgh, that means rivers.
To get attendees between the hubs and parking at Station Square, organizers have discussed using the Gateway Clipper Fleet, according to those involved with planning the draft.
More details and final decisions on what spaces will be used will emerge in the months following the draft in Green Bay.
Pittsburgh’s history with the draft runs strong. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Pittsburgh’s steel industry faced a sharp decline, but amid that doom and gloom, the Steelers found their footing in football – in large part thanks to drafts.
In the 1974 draft, the Steelers selected four future Hall of Famers, leading to the first of six Super Bowl wins the following year. That history played a role in the success of the city’s bid, according to those with knowledge of the bid.
The draft also received widespread and strong support from Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, and private and nonprofit sector leaders.
And Pittsburgh is within 500 miles of 11 other NFL cities and 35 NCAA Division I football programs, meaning it’s primed to bring in a crowd.
VisitPittsburgh, the tourism agency leading the charge on draft preparation, estimates a crowd of 500,000 to 700,000 fans.
That will be a mix of residents and out-of-town visitors, said Emily Hatfield, senior director of communications for VisitPittsburgh.
"We expect that attendance on the first two peak days will largely be driven by our strong, sports-centric out-of-state markets, while day three attendance will largely be filled by locals and those throughout the surrounding region,” she said in a statement by email.
Last year, Shapiro said it’s expected to be the largest event to ever take place in Pittsburgh.
Some of Pittsburgh’s largest events in recent history averaged around 70,000 attendees for the 2022 Backyard Brawl game between University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University and one of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in 2023.
Pittsburgh has more than 6,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the North Shore and Point State Park, Hatfield said, with even more rooms farther from the venue and outside of the city.
Based on previous draft numbers, it’s expected to generate $120 million to $213 million in economic impact. With large events like the Taylor Swift concert, not everyone can stay close to the venue, so those benefits are expected to extend beyond the city to neighboring counties.
As for funding, the “vast majority of expenses” will be covered by the NFL, and the budget process is ongoing, Hatfield said.
Public money will be part of the mix. The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County pledged a total of $4 million, and City Council approved a one-time payment of $1 million to VisitPittsburgh to assist in draft preparation.
The county made a commitment to use $3 million, which will come from hotel tax revenue and may only be used for marketing and tourism, said Abigail Gardner, director of communications for County Executive Sara Innamorato.
Funds from the city will be spent to enhance public safety, public works, community greening efforts and temporary infrastructure upgrades, Hatfield said previously. Businesses have committed an additional $5 million, she said.
Ahead of the draft, Pittsburgh is also seeing a slew of upgrades and repairs, including the Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal and $3.4 million in Point State Park improvements.
This coincides with broader development and revitalization efforts Downtown. Point State Park, Market Square, and Eighth Street in the Cultural District are areas of focus for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
While many of those improvements were set to happen regardless, the draft has given projects a hopeful due date.
