A week out from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, the key offseason event is already taking on a heavy frothiness among the 32 teams, and in Pittsburgh, where the showcase will be held.
Trade chatter and pre-draft maneuvering are amplifying quickly as the first round, to be held on April 23 outside of Acrisure Stadium, approaches. Among the latest developments:
- Raiders: Holding the No. 1 pick, Las Vegas is still widely expected to use that choice on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won both a national championship and the Heisman Trophy last season. That still hasn’t stopped multiple teams from inquiring about potentially trading for that top selection. “We’ve gotten a few calls, and those teams know where they stand,” Las Vegas GM John Spytek said. Mendoza is in line to become the fourth straight quarterback picked at No. 1 in the draft.
- Jets: There is significant uncertainty with New York at No. 2. Various mock drafts are split, with the long-suffering team picking Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese or Texas Tech linebacker David Bailey—with some others suggesting a preference instead for fellow Buckeyes Sonny Styles or Carnell Tate. The Jets also have the No. 16 pick, which many pundits have eyed as a potential part of a bigger trade that could see New York shift in the final draft order. The Jets are trying to end the longest current playoff drought in major U.S. pro sports, not having been to the postseason since the 2010 season.
- Cowboys, Browns, Dolphins, and Chiefs: Each has two first-round picks as well and is high on the list of teams to watch for trades. As Dallas in particular has the Nos. 12 and 20 selections, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones leaned into that at the recent NFL annual meeting, saying, “I’ve looked at that mirror a lot, about how to go up and down and trade and do those kinds of things. Absolutely we’ll entertain improving or an in-draft read on what gives us a better chance to get another player and still have our pick and the red meat of top players. … It’s very doable.”
- Rueben Bain Jr.: The University of Miami defensive lineman is another major question mark. The standout player is still a top-10 selection in many mock drafts, but recently disclosed court documents show Bain was the driver in a 2024 traffic collision that ultimately led to the death of one of the passengers. Bain was never charged in the incident, due in part to what was listed as a “defective citation.”
- Steelers: They are still in a wait-and-see mode at quarterback as veteran Aaron Rodgers is due to give the team an answer on his 2026 plans by next week. In the meantime, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has made a pre-draft visit with the team. The Steelers also have quarterbacks Will Howard, selected in last year’s draft, and Mason Rudolph on the roster. Pittsburgh picks at No. 21 in the first round and has a league-leading 12 selections overall.
There are hefty financial implications with many of the contemplated moves. The 2026 salary cap has been set at a league-record $301.2 million per team, up by $22 million from 2025. All rookie-level contracts in the NFL, meanwhile, are also fixed on a sliding scale based on draft position. The No. 2 choice, for example, is set for a four-year, $52.1 million contract, while the No. 32 one will earn less than a third of that, $16.2 million, over those same four years.
The Town Is Abuzz
The Pittsburgh area, meanwhile, continues to prepare for what will be one of the largest visitor events in its history. Crowd estimates are still hovering between 500,000 and 700,000 people for the entire weekend. Like at prior NFL Drafts, that estimate is a cumulative figure that counts fans entering the official draft area each day. As a result, any individual fan who attends more than one day of the three-day event will be counted multiple times.
Unique to Pittsburgh, however, is a two-site event plan that will use both the area outside of Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers’ home facility, and Point State Park at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. The Roberto Clemente Bridge, which helps connect the two, will be closed to vehicular traffic to create a pedestrian fan corridor.
Despite some prior projections of hotel rooms entirely selling out in the area weeks ahead of the draft, there is still plenty of inventory available in the immediate Downtown Pittsburgh area and out by the airport. Asking prices for many of those rooms, however, are reaching historic levels, with most downtown rooms beginning at more than $600 per night and quickly escalating into four-figure prices. The airport area, meanwhile, is offering only modest discounts in comparison.
That, in turn, has set up some last-minute drama between hotels and incoming fans, but the Visit Pittsburgh tourism authority said it is “still optimistic” for a final surge in bookings in the days leading up to the draft.
